When Death Meets Desire
by Hime Temari
Summary: For some, the lure of darkness has always been irresistible. When Katherine Elbourne is recruited by the Hellsing organization, her world takes on a dark new twist. Will she be able to resist the call of the night, or will her curiosity be her death?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Hellsing or any of its characters. This fic is co-written by myself and someone whose name will not be mentioned for privacy purposes, so all credit does not belong to me. Please note that some of the content is inappropriate for younger readers.

Chapter One

The steady click of high heels against the stone floors echoed throughout the empty hallways. Katherine Elbourne tucked the few stray hairs framing her face behind her ears and checked to see that the pins keeping her hair in a bun were still in place.

"Not so fast, Walter. These shoes are killing me!"

"Then why did you wear them?" came the elderly butler's reply, followed by a soft chuckle. Katherine tugged on her skirt, trying to give it some length before replying, "I want to at least make a good first impression with Sir Hellsing. First impressions are key because they are lasting."

"Ah, is that why you gave me such a dazzling smile when we first met?" Walter asked, slowing to look back at her.

"Well that, and you were positively charming."

Walter laughed. "Good to know I haven't lost all my charm yet. Now come along Miss Elbourne or you'll be late."

Katherine hurried to keep up with his rapid pace. "I told you before you can call me Kit. Now Walter, do you think Sir Hellsing will like me?"

"As long as you do your job, she'll love you."

"I don't know if I can even do that. I mean, what do I have to offer?"

"You graduated at the top of your class, and I've seen some of your designs; they're quite impressive."

"I graduated two and half years ago. Surely there are younger graduates who did even better than I did."

"Miss Elb – Kit, we're not looking for rookies. Your work with the Crime Lab has given you enough experience."

"Well alright, if you say so," Katherine conceded with a shrug.

Katherine had been very surprised when she was approached by the Hellsing Organization with a job proposition. According to Walter, they were in search of someone who could design and manufacture specialized weapons and ammunition for their troops. It was not immediately explained why they needed specialized firearms, but the idea of finally being able to pursue her dreams of designing her own weapons was what caught her attention. Ever since she was 17, Katherine had been sketching her own firearms, labeling the parts and making notes on the types of materials she would use. Of course she never got much further than that since she had neither the resources nor the licensing to take it further. But with this job at Hellsing, she would have everything she needed, and so she had jumped at the chance, signing the contract after only one interview with Walter.

Now that she was an official member of the organization, she was being introduced to the big boss herself, Sir Integra Hellsing. When Walter had met her at the front door, he had mentioned that Sir Hellsing would explain the true nature of this organization to her during their meeting.

Now as Katherine followed behind Walter, she felt herself growing more and more excited to learn the true secrets of the Hellsing organization.

"We are here," Walter announced, stopping outside a large oak door and tapping softly on the wood.

"Enter," came a female voice from within. Walter twisted the brass knob and the door swung open. With a wave of his hand, Walter urged Katherine to enter first, which she did. She came to a stop in front of the desk, her eyes sweeping over the young blonde woman standing on the other side.

Katherine Elbourne was a woman of medium height with a small physique. Her hair was long and dark brown, and her eyes were an unusual grey surrounded by thick black lashes which gave them a wide-eyed, child-like appearance. Her features were fine and delicate, making her appear almost fragile, but the way she wore her hair gave her a slightly sterner look. She had small breasts, a slender torso and slightly curving hips, yet overall she had a somewhat boyish figure.

Similarly, Sir Integra Hellsing had a straight figure, with the only indication that she was a woman being the slight curve of her chest. Integra was tall and fair, with long platinum blonde hair and pale blue eyes hidden behind a pair of large, round glasses. She dressed in a suit, and smoked cigars like any man would – a declaration to the world that she was as tough as any male.

Katherine did not doubt that for a second.

"Sir Hellsing, it is a pleasure to finally meet you."

Katherine noticed how the other woman scrutinized her before nodding to the chair across from her. Katherine moved to sit down and carefully crossed her legs, smoothing her skirt once more before folding her hands neatly in her lap.

"We are happy to have you on board, but I am sure you have many questions. You must understand, we could not divulge any information until you were under contract."

"I understand."

"Good. Tell me Miss Elbourne, have you ever heard of vampires?"

Katherine blinked in surprise, certain she had misheard. "I'm sorry, did you say vampires?"

Integra Hellsing said nothing, waiting for the reply to her question.

"Well yes, of course. I'm sure everyone knows about vampires, but what does that have to do with anything?" Katherine asked, feeling slightly flustered. Integra removed the cigar from between her lips and sat down, releasing a puff of smoke from her mouth. She waited until the air in front of her face had cleared before offering further explanation.

"You want to know what it is we fight against, why we need special weaponry? Well, there is your answer."

Katherine glanced sideways at Walter who was standing placidly next to the wall. He did not smile. She turned her eyes back to Integra and saw the seriousness in the woman's eyes.

It did not appear as though they were pulling her leg.

"I don't think I follow. You're saying you actually fight vampires? Real, live vampires?"

"Well they're technically dead, but yes, that is what I am saying."

For a long moment Katherine was silent, staring down at her hands while her mind processed the information.

Vampires?

What an utterly ridiculous concept.

"Is this some sort of joke? How dare you make me sign a contract and offer this nonsense as some sort of explanation?!"

"In all fairness Miss Elbourne, we did not _make_ you sign anything. But I knew you would react this way – most new employees do, so I arranged for you to meet one of our two vampires."

"Meet one? You mean a vampire?" Katherine asked, her anger suddenly melting away, replaced with uncertainty. Integra nodded before directing her gaze over to Walter.

"Walter, bring her in."

"Yes Madam."

Katherine watched with bated breath as the elderly butler walked over to the door and opened it. A young blonde woman stood in the doorway, wearing a blue police uniform and carrying an abnormally large firearm – more of a cannon really. Katherine's jaw dropped, and she slowly rose from her chair, moving over to the young woman.

"H-Hello. My name is Ceres Victoria."

Katherine barely heard her speak, amazed by the weapon she carried. She circled the girl once before stopping beside the cannon.

"This is. . .an incredible piece of equipment. How did you possibly manage to make it so large, yet still light enough for a girl to carry?" Katherine asked, reaching out to lift the weapon. It came as a big surprise to her when she was barely able to lift it clear of the ground.

"Miss Victoria is able to carry it because she is a vampire and therefore insanely strong," Walter explained. Katherine now looked at the girl, and for the first time realized her eyes were a bright crimson color. Ceres smiled uncertainly, showing off her fangs. Shocked, Katherine took a step back.

"Oh my god, you were telling the truth!"

"Yes, we were. Now you understand the secrecy." Integra rose from her desk and walked around to stand beside Katherine.

"I apologize, but I have to cut this meeting short. There are things that require my immediate attention. Walter will show you the ropes."

"Sir Integra."

"Hm?"

"You said you had two vampires. Where is the other one?"

Both Integra and Walter smiled secretively. "Ah yes, Alucard is our other vampire. He is currently out,"

"but you will no doubt meet him soon."

****

Katherine's first day of work was finally winding down. She was exhausted – having unpacked all her things in her new room and traversed the entire estate with Walter as her guide before finally seeing the weapons storage facility, complete with shooting range. Walter had left her there ten minutes ago to tinker with the available weapons and try them out if she wished. It was her first few moments alone, and it did not take long for her to become completely engrossed with what she was doing.

The familiar smell of gunpowder, the coolness of the metal casings, the smooth contours of the rifle in her hands – all of it drawing her into a world where she was invincible. Katherine loaded the weapon and raised it to her shoulder, checking her aim before firing off a series of rounds. When she stopped, she found to her immense satisfaction that each and every bullet had hit the target dead center. She smiled to herself, but immediately sensed someone had entered the room.

"It's not wise to try and sneak up on someone who has a loaded rifle in their hands," she said without turning to see who it was. She heard a deep, velvety voice start to laugh and quickly spun around to face the intruder. An unusual looking man stood in the doorway to the storage facility, wearing traditional Victorian clothing as well as a pair of yellow sunglasses and a wide-brimmed red hat.

"That's a neat trick woman; I wish you would teach it to my fledgling," the man said with an arrogant smirk on his face. Even though she could not see his eyes, Katherine felt his penetrating gaze eyeing her from behind the tinted lenses. She absent-mindedly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before asking nervously, "Who are you?"

Before the man could answer, Walter appeared behind him.

"Ah, I see you have met Alucard."

"Oh! You're Alucard. Well, it's a pleasure to finally meet you," Katherine offered politely, intrigued by the vampire and curious to see his face properly. Alucard's grin widened, and he folded his arms across his chest as he regarded her.

"Where did you find this one Walter? I like her; she doesn't act either frightened or repulsed."

"Yes well we'd prefer it if it stayed that way, Alucard," said Walter with a somewhat reprimanding tone. The vampire chuckled again before moving closer to Katherine.

"So, you are Katherine, correct?"

"I prefer to be called Kit."

"Katherine suits you better," he replied, his eyes finding hers from above his glasses. She saw they were the same bright red as Ceres' had been. Silence filled the space for a few moments before Alucard leaned closer to her.

"Just a small tip for you, I like my guns big."

"Integra's been waiting for you," Walter interjected.

"Ah, duty calls. We'll no doubt run into each other again, Katherine."

With that he suddenly disappeared, floating through the walls as though they weren't even there. Katherine blinked in surprised, her skin still tingling from their encounter.

"Well, what did you think of Alucard?" Walter asked, suddenly breaking her train of thought.

"He's. . .he's different," was all Katherine would offer. She was uncertain what to make of him, but she had the feeling she would no doubt be seeing him again soon.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The long, stone corridor seemed to stretch endlessly ahead of Kit who by this time was dragging her feet. It was on nights like these that she found herself wishing her room was not so far away from everything else. After spending half the day in her workshop and the other half supervising weapon testing in the field, she longed to take a long, hot shower and climb straight into bed.

Finally reaching her room, she shut the door behind her and began removing her dark green jacket emblazoned with the red and black Hellsing symbol. She kicked off her black boots and unbuttoned her pants while walking over to the en suite bathroom. She was fortunate to have a room with its own bathroom; the other employees – who were comprised almost entirely of men – shared bathrooms, which would not have worked well for her.  
Kit turned on the shower and removed her pants, leaving her with only her navy blue tank top and black boyshorts. Humming softly, she walked back into the room to retrieve her pajamas, but stopped short when she spotted a dark figure sitting in the chair by her desk.

Alucard sat with his legs crossed and his gloved hands folded. That ever-present grin of his was firmly in place, showing off his sharp fangs. His face was shadowed, but his red eyes blazed as brightly as ever.

"Ah geez, how many times have I told you not to just barge into my room like this?" Kit asked, placing her hands firmly on her hips. Alucard's eyes swept over her body once before settling on her face.

"I didn't barge in, I sauntered. Nice outfit by the way."

Feeling her cheeks burn with embarrassment, Kit searched the room for something to wrap around herself, but after a moment realized it would be pointless. The best thing to do was to hear what he wanted and ask him to leave.

"What do you want, Alucard?"

Reaching into his coat, Alucard withdrew what appeared to be the remains of his gun – the Jackal.

"I got a bit carried away on last night's mission and it broke. Fix it," he ordered. Kit walked over to where he was seated and took the shattered firearm from him. While she examined the extent of the damage, she could feel his eyes boring into her. The thought of him looking at her caused her heart to start pounding, and her blood pumped faster through her veins, warming her skin.

Alucard began to squirm in the chair, acutely aware of the rush of blood flowing so close beneath the surface of her pale skin. Having lived close to Integra for so many years, he was familiar with the smell of virgin blood, yet with Katherine it seemed different somehow. Perhaps it was because he had watched Integra grow up, and still saw her as a little girl, or perhaps it was because with Integra, the only factor that appealed to him was her blood. In Katherine's case, it was so much more than the scent of her blood that appealed to him. That first day he had met her had been the only time he'd seen her wear a skirt and high heels. Ever since then, she practically lived in jeans and T-shirts that served to hide what lay beneath. Also, she never wore her hair loose – it was always tied back in a messy ponytail. He knew what she was trying to accomplish with this; she was trying to downplay her beauty – probably because she did not want it interfering with her work.

Humans are so shallow. They judged based on appearance alone, and if someone had to judge Katherine based on her appearance, they would greatly underestimate her worth, pegging her as nothing more than another pretty face, when clearly she was so much more than that.

Alucard had taken to showing up unexpectedly in her room at night, hoping to catch glimpses of the real her, as he did now. There was only one thing bothering him.

Kit placed the firearm down and turned towards Alucard, finding him standing right beside her, closer than she had expected. Slowly he raised one hand, reaching behind her head. She held her breath, and a moment later felt a gentle tug on her hair before it all came tumbling down around her face.

"That's better," Alucard said, dropping the elastic band, which had been holding her hair back, on the table.

"Why didn't you bring this to me earlier when I was still in the workshop?" she asked, abruptly averting the subject.

"I was sleeping. You should know that after two months of working here."

"You could have called Walter down."

"What if I say I wanted to see you myself?"

"Then I'll say don't tease me like that."

Alucard opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by an annoying ringing sound. Kit stepped away and reached for her cell phone lying on the bedside table.

"Hello?"

"Kit? Hi, it's me."

"Nathan?" Kit asked in surprise, her eyes darting over to Alucard briefly.

"Yeah. Sorry I'm calling so late, but you've been unavailable during the day."

"Oh yes, sorry about that. Work's been kinda hectic."

"Speaking of, how's it going there? You managing alright?"

"Yeah everything is great."

"Boyfriend?" Alucard asked, moving closer to her.

"Who is that in the background?" Nathan asked.

"Uh. . .no one, just a work colleague," Kit explained, waving her hands impatiently at Alucard, trying to chase him away.

But the vampire seemed to find the situation amusing and was determined to stick around.

"Oh, is he. . .you know, special?" Nathan asked, his voice giving away his uncertainty. Kit's heart skipped a beat, and her only thoughts were that Nathan had somehow found out about Alucard being a vampire.

"What do you mean by special?" she asked slowly.

"I mean is he. . .are you seeing him, or something?"

"Alucard? No, really he was just dropping off something work related. He's leaving now," she said, glaring at Alucard and pointing at the door. Alucard on the other hand would have none of it, laughing as he avoided the slap she directed at him.

"Oh, right. Uhm, listen Kit, I was wondering, if you're free sometime maybe we could play a round of squash or something?"

"Sure that sounds great. Listen Nathan, I'll call you back as soon as I have an open night, alright?"

"Ok, and Kit?"

"Yes?"

"I really miss you, y'know."

Kit hesitated for a moment before replying, "Yeah me too. Bye." And with that she hung up.

"So, who is this Nathan fellow?" Alucard asked.

"My old lab partner, back when I worked for the Crime Lab."

"Is that _all_ he was?"

"We'd play squash together sometimes," Kit replied with a shrug.  
"Hm. Sounds to me like he sees you as more than just an old lab partner or squash buddy."

"You shouldn't have even been listening to that. You should leave, now."

Alucard walked over to the door, but stopped to glance back at her.

"Goodnight, Katherine."

"Goodnight, Alucard."

As the ancient vampire wandered down the corridor, he replayed Katherine's telephone conversation in his head. He had heard clearly every word spoken by this Nathan fellow, even noting the obvious emotions behind each sentence. He had really been worried that Katherine was seeing someone. Obviously the man had something of an inferiority complex. He was the type who would sit back and allow the woman he loved to walk away and be with someone else without putting up a fight.

Coward.

He should stand up for what he wanted and fight for her. But no, Mr. Old Lab Partner would sit around feeling sorry for himself instead of confessing.

Not that Alucard minded of course; he did not like the sound of this other man. His type would never make her happy. He did not deserve a gift like Katherine.

Glancing back, Alucard could hear her humming in the shower and felt his grin return. Soon she would be asleep, and then he would return to examine her in his own time. Humans were in their truest form when they slept – one could see them for who they truly were. It was only when they were asleep that the masks they wore slipped away, revealing the face beneath.

It was also then that a woman like Katherine was at her most beautiful – and Alucard would be the only one to enjoy the view.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

In the early hours of the morning, while the stars, at their brightest, were saying their final farewell to the sky and the darkened moon was sinking in the horizon; when a ghostly silence blanketed the countryside and even the creatures of the night were starting to wind down, he was still there watching her.

The tall, dark figure clad in red sat silently in a hard-backed wooden chair. His yellow-tinted glasses lay in his lap and his wide-brimmed hat was hanging over one side of the chair. Dawn was nearly upon him, and he knew he would have to leave soon, but could not do so just yet – not until he could see into the windows of her soul.

The woman slept peacefully – his heightened senses clearly picking out her heartbeat, her slow gentle breathing. She was completely unaware of his presence so close to her.

A feeling of peace, peace he had not felt since time immemorial, suffused him as he looked at her angelic face; a face made almost childlike in sleep. The pale lavender skin of her eyelids fluttering irregularly as her eyes moved beneath them. Her blanket covered only her legs, and he could see the pale skin of her neck and arms bared by her white camisole. Her mane of ebony hair was spread out behind her on the snowy white pillow, and the fading moonlight which filtered in through the blinds accentuated the ivory color of her skin, gently like a lover's farewell kiss.

Her scent was everywhere in the room, completely ensnaring his senses with its intoxicating effects. This type of scent was rare these days – the smell of a young virgin. He relished in it, imagining the sweetness of her life's essence – pure, untouched, and uncontaminated by the filth of the human world. The excitement rises within him, so close, so unbearably close to breaking free, to indulging in his fantasy. But he mastered himself, for her sake, and for his own doomed soul.

He moves closer to her, breathing in her scent, tasting her in the air. He can feel the heat of her body pressing against him. He, who has never felt fear before, now trembles from it, afraid of never touching her, holding her, having her. He could almost taste her on his lips, and for a moment he gave himself over to his desire, feeling his mouth begin to salivate, his mind wholly focused on the yearning to sink his fangs into her delicate neck and lap up every last drop of the warm, sweet nourishment that flowed through her veins.

But he quickly brought himself back under control before he could act out his impulse. Silently he scolded himself for acting like some half-starved, raving young novice. He would not take her by force, but he would be on guard. She would not remain as she was now for long – of that he was sure. She could very easily give herself up to the next human male who crossed her path, all in the name of love; or her gift could just as easily be stolen from her by any number of the frisky young men who called this establishment home. His master abhorred such behavior and of course discouraged it, but even the great Sir Hellsing could not control every move her men made. Fortunately the soldiers had not yet realized the potential that lay right beneath their noses, thanks for the most part to her habit of trying to be as inconspicuous as possible; sooner or later, however, their eyes would be opened, and they would as mesmerized as he himself now was.

The faint sounds of chirping birds alerted him to the arrival of dawn. Already the sky was lightening, and soon the sun itself would peek out over the horizon. He had to leave her now and return to his dungeon quarters, but he longed to look into her eyes just once before he departed. Rising from his chair, he stepped closer to the bed and with one gloved hand gently traced the side of her face. Her eyes fluttered open at his touch, and for a brief moment she was staring right at him. Her grey eyes seemed more silver in the half light, and the long black lashes that surrounded her eyes gave them the appearance of innocence and beauty.

And then they were gone, hidden behind her eyelids once more as she struggled to rouse. When her eyes opened again, he was gone – melted into the shadows where he could not be seen, but could still watch. She sat upright in her bed and cautiously looked around, peering into every darkened nook and cranny for any sign of an intruding presence. But of course she saw nothing, and for a moment she clutched the blankets protectively against her body.

Before leaving her completely, he saw her lips move ever so slightly and his heightened sense of hearing caught the single word she whispered.

"Alucard."

Grinning to himself, he returned to his own room, thinking that perhaps it would not be necessary to protect her from other men for long.

****

It was rare for Alucard to wander the mansion during daylight hours, but on this particular day he was feeling restless. He knew Integra would be sending him into the field tonight, but his Jackal was still out of commission. Katherine had promised it would be ready in time, but the _Nostafaru_ could not help feeling antsy. Needing something to distract him, he decided to go in search of his fledgling, Ceres. He knew she would be with the other soldiers, preparing for the mission.

As the vampire neared the barracks, his sensitive hearing picked out a conversation between three men:

"So if our mission finishes up quickly, I was thinking I might go to the Spring Lodge Hotel."

"What? Again? When are you going to learn, mate? Those hookers are greedy."

"Yeah so?"

"So, why would you wanna go out when we've got our own fine little thing right here?"

"You mean the new girl? What was her name again. . .Kit?"

"That's the one!"

Alucard froze at the sound of her name and instantly changed his course of direction, heading towards the soldiers. Their conversation continued:

"I saw 'er on 'er first day; man, was she fine-looking."

"Yeah? Nothing like the way she looks now?"

"No! I'm telling ya, that Hellsing woman probably ordered 'er to dress down so she won't draw attention."

"Nah, I'm willing to bet she does it on purpose. Probably thinks herself too good for common soldiers like us."

"Well I'm sure we can change 'er mind!"

The other two chuckled darkly, and Alucard left before he could act upon the impulse to slaughter all three of them, moving instead back the way he had come. His first thought was that he needed to find Katherine before anyone else could, but when he was a few meters away, he picked out her soft, startled gasp and an increase in her heart rate.

Thinking that perhaps someone had beaten him to the punch – though it was highly unlikely – he floated into her workshop through the thick, stone walls and found her kneeling on the ground before an open cabinet, her back to him. She had not sensed his arrival, and appeared to be rummaging around for something.

It was then that the sharp, overpowering scent of fresh blood hit his nose, and he was caught off-guard for a moment. An involuntary growl rumbled up from deep within his chest as instinct kicked in.

The threatening sound did not escape Katherine's attention, who had hesitantly glanced back over her shoulder. When she saw Alucard, her eyes widened with fear, and she rose smoothly, clutching her left hand protectively to her chest.

"A-Alucard. What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice wavering with uncertainty. Alucard's gaze swept down to her left hand and he caught sight of a bright red droplet of blood escape from her clenched fingers and fall to the ground with a splash that could be heard only by him. Katherine had frozen, her eyes betraying her fear for him.

It was the first time he had seen that look in her eyes.

He did not like it.

Gaining control of his urges and trying his best to ignore the tantalizingly sweet smell, Alucard slowly walked towards her, careful not to make any sudden moves that would alarm her. His eye caught sight of the bloody knife lying on the table where she worked, the one she had no doubt injured herself with.

"Are you alright?" he asked in a low tone. She nodded, her eyes never leaving his approaching form.

"May I see?" he asked, holding out his hand. She hesitated, which was normal. A bleeding human in the presence of a bloodthirsty vampire was not exactly ideal circumstances, especially when that human was a young virgin maiden.

"Katherine, are you afraid of me?"

"Of course! Humans like me are your food source," she replied, tightening her grip on her left hand, causing another droplet of blood to drip down her arm. Alucard smirked;

"I am a well-fed vampire, Miss Elbourne. You don't have to worry," he assured her, extending his outstretched hand a little further. Katherine stared into his eyes for a moment longer before submitting. She opened her wounded hand, revealing the angry red slash that ran across her palm. There was evidence of clotting along the edges of the gash, but the center still oozed fresh blood.

"It was an accident. I was just looking for a first-aid kit," she explained softly, her eyes now staring at the wound. Alucard gently ran a finger over the gash, wiping away the blood so he could better examine the wound.

"It doesn't look all that bad. You should be fine if you just bind it."

With a nod she went back to rummaging around in search of supplies, and while her back was turned, Alucard slipped the finger he had used into his mouth, sucking off all trace of her blood. She tasted as good as she smelled, and just those few drops had given him an appetite for more. Fortunately for her, he was good at controlling himself.

Katherine found a small box containing some first-aid supplies, and she scratched through the contents until she found some ointment and a small strip of bandage. He watched as she applied the ointment, her mouth twisting in pain at the sting, before she attempted to wrap the bandage around her hand. The smell of the ointment interfered with the smell of the blood, easing the tension in Alucard's body.

Alucard watched her struggle for a few minutes before silently holding out his hand once more. She relented much faster this time, and within a few seconds he had bound the ends together.

"Thank you," she said, but he was already making for the door.

"Wait!" she called after him, half rising from her seat. Alucard paused, turning his head slightly – enough to acknowledge her but not enough to see her.

"I. . ." she started, but drifted away. "Don't go," she wanted to say, to beg, to plead. Whenever Alucard was around, she felt both terrified and fascinated. He was a creature of darkness – that she knew – but he was also a man of beauty, of strength, and of danger. She was completely enchanted by him.

"Don't you want your gun?"

"Is it ready?"

"Well no, but it will be if you just give me a few min-"

"Have Walter bring it down to me when it's ready."

He continued for the door, sensing her disappointment. It both pleased and worried him, and the conflicting emotions were making him uneasy. He needed to escape her presence, to seal himself in his coffin where he could clear his head, but before he could leave, he sensed the approach of someone else.

"Don't tell anyone I'm here," he ordered before melting into the shadows, a silent observer. Katherine had no time to question him, as a soldier entered the room at that moment.

"Can I help you?" Katherine asked, her voice strong and calm, though her eyes looked past the soldier at the spot where she had seen Alucard disappear.

"Me and some of the boys are heading out after the mission, and I was wondering if you'd like to join us?"

Katherine could almost see Alucard's bright red eyes glaring out at the man – could almost feel him urging her to decline.

"Thank you, but no," she replied, her brow knitting together as she continued to stare into the darkness, but the man misinterpreted her look of annoyance.

"Why not? You too good to hang out with ruffians like us?"

Startled by his angry reply, Katherine tried to explain: "No, that's not it, I –"

"Ah forget it!" he shouted, turning his back on her and walking out. Katherine watched him leave before bringing her hands up to her hips.

"Alucard!"

But he had already left, satisfied that for now at least trouble had been averted. She would be alright for now, and once the mission had been completed, Alucard would be there once more to watch over her.

As he returned to his quarters, all thoughts of Katherine were pushed to the back of his mind – not completely out of reach, but far enough so that they would not interfere with the task that lay ahead. He was anxious for battle, hungry for fresh blood, desperate to rid himself of his boredom and frustrations.

Tonight, he would get the release he was looking for.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four

"Kit!"

Katherine raised her head as Walter came rushing into the workshop and instantly noticed the urgency in his eyes. Rising swiftly from her seat, she said, "What is it Walter? What's happened?"

"We have a problem! We've received word of another ghoul attack just north of London, but the majority of our troops have gone south to deal with another attack there. We are short some members."

Katherine's eyes widened at what Walter seemed to be implying.

"You don't mean you want me to. . .?"

"I'm afraid so. We could really use your long distance shooting skills. With both Ceres and Alucard gone, we need someone to provide cover for our men, and you're the best we've got."

"But –"

"You don't have to worry. You will be situated on a hilltop overlooking the battle area, with guards on standby to fend off any close range attacks. All you need to do is take out as many of the ghouls as possible."

Katherine brought her fingers up to her mouth and began chewing on her fingernails as she considered his words. She was under contract, and therefore obligated to follow any orders given by Sir Integra Hellsing, however they seemed to be giving her a choice, taking into consideration her lack of field experience. She was used to lab work, not combat, but it was true she knew how to handle a firearm.

"Alright. Give me a few minutes to gather up some gear and I'll meet the troops out front."

Walter gave her grateful smile before leaving her to prepare. Within a matter of moments she had gathered together enough ammunition for herself and the men, as well as a new 7.62x51mm bolt-action sniper rifle. With all her gear together, she slung the bag containing the ammunition over her shoulder and hurried out, cradling the rifle in her other arm. When she reached the front of the manor, a large green van was waiting for them, and the men were already filing in one by one. Katherine jumped in last, seating herself on the edge of the bench and focusing her gaze on the ground to avoid the curious glances of the other men. They rode the whole way in silence, and once the vehicle came to a stop, the men emerged with their weapons ready. Katherine gathered her things together, listening to the sound of a captain shouting out orders. There was a scurry of boots on the hard ground, and they were off, jogging over to the building where the ghouls were attacking. Almost immediately there were sounds of battle, shots being fired from both sides.

Katherine watched the scene for a few moments before spotting the hill Walter had mentioned. Realizing time was of the essence, and not waiting for the promised guards, she hurried up the side of the grassy hill by herself. Once in position, she worked quickly to set up her weapon, but as she was reaching back for ammunition, her eyes caught a flash of movement and suddenly a stray ghoul entered her line of vision.

It was instinct that saved her the first time, as she jerked back out of the creature's reach with a startled cry, though the cold, grey fingers managed to leave a bloody scratch on her cheek. Only, the swift movement caused her to lose her balance, and she went tumbling to the ground, landing flat on her back. The ghoul was on top of her in a matter of seconds, its heavy body pinning her legs beneath it. She tried fighting it off with her hands, but the monster's teeth snapped at her arms, grazing the skin.

The ghoul's meaty grey hands locked around her neck, cutting off her supply of air. Katherine clawed at the creature's arms, trying in vain to break its deadly grip. She was starting to feel dizzy, and the ugly, twisted face that was moving closer to hers – jaws agape and ready to take a bite out of her pale flesh – was a grey blur.

_This is it_, she thought.

Suddenly a shot was fired from close by, and the monster hovering over her shuddered before disintegrating into white ash that was blown away. Gasping for breath, Katherine pushed herself into an upright position and saw a soldier standing nearby, firearm still clutched in his hand.

"Sorry about that, missy. These bloody ghouls are a bunch of sneaky bastards. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she replied, rubbing her neck absent-mindedly.

"You sure? Your face is bleeding a little."

Katherine reached up and wiped away the blood that was dripping down the side of her face from the scratch. Without another word, she stood up and walked back to where the sniper rifle was set up. She finished loading the magazine before sitting back on her haunches and unbuttoning the top half of the overalls she was wearing – for when she was doing metalwork. She folded it down to her waist until she was left wearing only a tank top on the upper half of her body, which would enable her to move more freely. She lay down on her stomach next to the rifle and adjusted its position slightly, watching the battle unfold through the scope.

She stabilized her breathing, ignoring the dull ache in her neck from where the monster had gripped her and the shame this brought, and began firing at the ghouls, taking out several of them in the first ten seconds. She hit her target in the head each and every time.

"You're pretty good," the soldier commented from his position beside her, but she ignored him, focusing on the task at hand. After a few more minutes, the battle was winding down, but the soldier's radio crackled to life and Katherine heard the new information.

Apparently there was a Freak barricaded somewhere inside the building, and it was the one controlling all the ghouls. Also, it seemed to have a group of human hostages which it was using to add to its army of ghouls. The Freak would no doubt use this to his advantage, as the soldiers would now be focusing on protecting the humans.

However, their first bit of good news came shortly after. Apparently the main body of troops had finished up their mission and was headed in their direction.

"They've sent their top agent ahead of the rest," the soldier said to her. It was immediately obvious to Katherine that he was referring to Alucard. She felt relieved at the news, and her resolve strengthened. She wanted to show him that she could take care of herself.

Katherine was certain he had taken to watching over her. Why he did this, she was not sure, but she was sure she had caught sight of a dark shape in her bedroom at night once or twice before. There were only two persons it could be: Alucard or Ceres, and the figure she had glimpsed was too tall to be little Ceres.

Surprisingly, it made her feel safe knowing he was there, despite what he was. Katherine had never bothered much with men in the past. She had witnessed first hand what losing a partner could do to someone. Her mother had been completely devoted to her father. Her whole life revolved around taking care of that man, and when he passed, her mother was left with nothing. With Katherine leaving home to start up her own life, her mother had slipped further into depression. Having been a housewife her whole life, she did not know what to do with herself now. Katherine had vowed she would not become like that. She worked hard to build up her career, so that should she one day marry, she would always have something else in her life to sustain her.

But her feelings of attraction for Alucard frightened her. She had never felt such strong desire for someone before. It was complete and utter madness, and whenever she was alone she was able to fight against it; however the minute Alucard appeared before her, her resolve crumbled into nothing and she was overcome by her need.

She needed him to leave her alone, and hopefully she could show him that tonight.

"Once Alucard gets here, we'll all be moving in behind him, myself included. You'll be alright then, won't you?" the soldier asked Katherine.

"No, I'm going in too," she answered, clipping the safety on and rising. She reached into her bag and pulled out a handgun similar to Alucard's Jackal, just smaller in size. As she checked the magazine, the soldier tried to protest, saying it was not necessary for her to enter the building and that she had performed her duty well, but Katherine ignored him. She strapped a holster around her waist, attaching spare clips for later. Once ready, she rose and tilted her chin at the soldier defiantly, her eyes showing that she was not going to back down from this fight. With a heavy sigh and a shrug, the soldier turned and headed down the hill to await the vampire's arrival. Katherine waited with him, and moments later a swarm of shrieking black bats swept in from the sky, melding together into a solid shape.

With a racing heart, Katherine watched as the shape became Alucard. He stood in the center of the yard, his back to her. She heard the malicious chuckle that escaped his lips, and she could tell he was excited by the prospect of battle. It was an Alucard she had not seen yet.

Without waiting for anyone, the ancient vampire strode confidently forward, entering the building before anyone else. The soldiers waited only a minute before following, and Katherine quickly joined their ranks, rushing in with her gun cocked and ready. The interior of the building was dark, the only light being that given off by the pale moon. Alucard was nowhere in sight, having raced ahead of the rest to seek out the Freak.

Katherine listened to the moaning growl of the remaining ghouls and used it as a way of finding the monsters in the dark. Still determined to prove her worth, she fired off a series of rounds along with the men, killing off her fair share of the attacking ghouls. She was unaware of the pair of fiery red eyes watching her, but shortly after the message was passed along that the Freak was dead and the humans safe.

It was only then that she became aware of the figure standing close beside her.

"You weren't supposed to fight," Alucard said, his eyes drifting over her body, lingering on the bruises in her neck.

"But I did, and I'm alive."

"Yes, you were strangely fortunate," he added before turning and walking away, leaving her standing in the dark with the rest of the soldiers.


	5. Chapter 5

chapter five

The steady flow of warm water came to an abrupt halt when Kit turned the taps. She stood for a moment in the sudden silence of the bathroom, watching droplets of water drip from her tangled mass of dark hair. Even though she had washed most of the blood and filth off her skin, she could not cleanse her mind of the gruesome images of battle. At least she was alive – for that much she should be grateful.

Stepping out of the shower, Kit carefully wrapped a towel around her body. The few cuts and scrapes she had received still burned a little, but the shower had done its job of cleaning out her wounds. All she wanted now was to have a peaceful night's rest.

Kit changed into a pair of black shorts and an oversized white T-shirt before exiting the bathroom and walking into her room.

She stopped short when she noticed the figure seated on her bed, her breath catching in her throat. The ancient vampire regarded her surprised face with a smirk before he greeted her, his deep, rich voice bouncing off the stone walls.

"Good evening, Katherine."

"Why do you do that?" she asked, quickly regaining control of herself.

"Do what?" he asked innocently, his grin widening, showing off his elongated incisors.

"Call me Katherine. Everyone else just calls me Kit," she replied, trying hard to avoid looking at his mouth, though his crimson eyes were almost just as dangerous to look at.

"It is your name, isn't it?"

"Well yes, but – " She paused when his gaze met hers from over the top of his glasses, completely forgetting the point she was trying to make; he seemed in no way inclined to remind her.

Alucard rose from her bed and took a few steps closer to her, his tall frame towering over her much smaller one. She swallowed nervously, then realized _he _had come to _her_.

"Why are you here?"

He did not reply immediately, but began slowly walking in a circle around her.

"You know, in the beginning you puzzled me," he started.

"Oh?"

"When I asked you once if you were afraid of me, you replied by saying of course you were afraid of me, after all, humans are my food source. Your answer was logical and expected, but for some reason I did not believe you. Then when I watched you on the mission today, fighting off those ghouls, I realized you are not afraid of me because of the threat I pose to your life; you are afraid of me because you know you desire me."

Kit was caught off guard by his statement, but quickly restrained herself from showing her surprise.

"That's ridiculous. Why on earth would you think that?"

Alucard stopped in front of her. He had removed his glasses now, and he stared directly at her with an insane grin on his face.

"As I said before, I watched you fight today, and I saw in your eyes a look of malice and pure ecstasy. You were thrilled by the hunt, weren't you? You have a darker side to your soul which you keep hidden from others. Your pathetic human conscious makes you fear what they would think of you. But it is that exact darkness which involuntarily draws you to me – a creature of darkness. You are excited by what I am, and it is that which frightens you." He paused, waiting to see if she would try to deny his accusations, but when she continued to say nothing, he leaned closer, bringing his hand up to her face.

"You cannot hide it from me," he whispered as he continued to reach out to touch her. He stopped, however, when he saw her eyes dart down to his raised hand. Reading the look on her face, Alucard could not help but chuckle.

"You are so easy to read, Katherine. Your curiosity burns in your eyes. You want to know what it would feel like to have my skin against yours, correct?"

Without waiting for her reply, Alucard removed the glove on his raised right hand before finally cupping her cheek.

His hand was cold against her skin, but in spite of this, Kit felt as though a spark of electricity had flown from his fingers into her body, causing her body to go haywire – blood rushed to her face, her heart rate increased, and every one of her nerve endings buzzed in pure delight. She tried to keep her breathing even and not give herself away, but it was futile; Alucard's eyes were staring at her neck. His fingers travelled down from her face to her neck, touching the area where her pulse jumped erratically, tracing over the faint purple bruises left behind from the ghoul attack. His grin turned to a scowl when he thought of what would have happened had that soldier not reached her in time. It was not long, however, before her scent drove all thoughts of death from his mind.

Kit's thoughts were spinning out of control; her mind was forcing her to notice the hunger in his flaming red eyes, reminding her of the danger, but her body was still wallowing in the delightful after effects of his touch, and as a result she found herself unable to move. If he wanted to, he could take her right there and she would not be able to do anything about it.

Alucard felt his throat begin to burn; the warmth of her skin as the blood flowed hotly beneath it, the wild, frantic beat of her heart – all of these fuelling his hunger. His entire body wanted her, longed to claim her as his own, yearned for her to be one with him for eternity. He did not lust after her body as human males did – though he had to admit she would make a breath-taking queen of the night. No, he wanted so much more than that. He wanted to be closer to her than even the most intimate of unions; he wanted to feel her inside of him, beneath his skin, as close to his still, lifeless heart as possible.

Kit's fear and uncertainty must have showed plainly on her face, because as soon as Alucard's eyes locked with hers, his hand fell away and the moment was over. She almost protested, sorry for the experience to have ended so abruptly. However, now that her body no longer tingled with pleasure, she regained her senses and realized how foolish she was being. Turning away from him, she wrapped her arms tightly around her body, afraid that if she looked at him again she would not be able to utter the words she was about to:

"Please leave."

Silence followed her request, and she began to suspect he had melted away as usual, but suddenly a strong hand grabbed one of hers firmly and pulled, causing her body to spin around like a ballerina's. Kit felt her body start to fall, but Alucard's hands were suddenly there, cradling her upper body so that she was forced to look up at him. She felt the heat rising in her skin once more, but Alucard seemed to not be paying attention this time. Slowly he lowered his mouth to her neck, his lips brushing along the length of it in a teasing manner before stopping at her ear.

"I'll say it again, as a warning: I am a creature of darkness. Be careful of tempting me."

He lifted her back into an upright position, twirling her out of his arms before releasing her completely. When she stopped and turned back, he was gone. Kit released her breath, having only just realized she had been holding it. She could sense he was really gone, as his imposing presence no longer filled the room.

Running a shaky hand through her damp locks, Kit turned and headed back into the bathroom, feeling in need of a cold shower this time.

****

That evening as Kit lay in her bed, she allowed her mind to wander to forbidden places. It was not long before she started to drift slowly closer to sleep, and she found herself remembering the tingle his touch had caused on her neck and arms. With a guilty start she realized she was breathing slightly faster and her face was flushed.

Mortified, she rolled over and tried to sleep, to banish the memories of him, his touch and her need. Alucard was not the only one who longed for something unattainable, she realized; how could she, a mere human, dare to love, and yes to lust, after an immortal.

As she finally fell asleep, her subconscious, always more active on the edge of sleep, told her there was a presence on the room. Before she could fully awaken, she felt rough hands grabbing hold of her. She gave one startled cry, of both anger and outrage, before a blow to her forehead caused her to lose her grip on reality.

Drifting in and out of consciousness, she was vaguely aware that she was being moved, but before she could open her eyes to see where she was being taken, the darkness would drag her back down. When she finally started surfacing from her dark nightmares, she found herself staring up at a grey ceiling. Glancing sideways, she saw she was in a storeroom used for supplies. She knew the storerooms were on the first floor, near the very back of the castle and far from any of the other rooms.

Before she could further contemplate the situation, she sensed a presence near her. Looking up she saw one of the soldiers from the Wild Geese leering down at her. She recognized him as the soldier who had approached her a while back, asking her to go out with him.

"Not so high and mighty now are you girl?" he snarled. "I'll fix you good tonight, walking around looking so delicious but not giving a man a glance."

Her head was throbbing, and while she tried to back away, her movements seemed sluggish. The soldier easily stopped her, and he roughly tore her T-shirt off her, leaving her breasts exposed. She tried to roll away, adrenaline finally kicking in and allowing her to move more quickly, but he grabbed her hair and pulled her back. She screamed in pain, feeling a few hairs being ripped out by the roots from his fierce grip. He pinned her down, his face coming close enough for her to smell the strong stench of alcohol on his breath. He looked at her, and she could see the burning lust in his eyes, causing her blood to run cold.

"Now you gonna get it girl!" he growled.

As he leaned forward, hand outstretched to fondle her breasts, a red clad arm appeared from behind him and grabbed his chin. He had one split second to look surprised before his entire head was wrung in a 180 degree arc.

"Not so tough now are you boy?" smirked Alucard, looking at the lifeless corpse on the floor.

Before she could think better of it, Kit flung herself into his arms, breathing in ragged gasps as she fought against the tears that burned her eyes. Until Alucard had shown up, she had not realized how frightened she had really been, but now her body trembled uncontrollably and she pressed closer to him, seeking comfort. He tentatively held his arms around her, and she could feel the restrained power in him, the almost primal, raw strength of an immortal. After a moment, she managed to compose herself and stepped back, feeling the lingering regret of his arms as they let her go.

He stood silently, regarding her with his glowing red eyes, and she felt herself blush again. His usual grin split his mouth, and his gaze dropped slowly from her face, eyeing her body up and down, until she hid her face in her hair, and awkwardly covered herself with her hands. Inside she was in turmoil, caught between wanting to flaunt herself and wanting to hide from him, her forbidden love.

Smiling still, he slung his jacket off and wrapped it around her, in a move so fast he was all but invisible to the human eye. Stepping back he asked, "Are you okay, Katherine?"

She looked up at him, noticing for the first time how the charcoal shirt he was wearing outlined the perfectly formed muscles of his pectorals and abdominals.

"Y-yes, I am fine," she replied hesitantly. "And thank you for being here," she added after a moment's hesitation.

His smile broadened, revealing his elongated incisors; "You're welcome…" he whispered.

Kit felt a wave of fatigue wash over her as the effects of the adrenaline rush faded, and her knees started to shake. Not wanting to show any more weakness in front of Alucard, she took a tentative step towards the door, only her knees buckled beneath her weight, and she felt herself stumble. He was there again without her even seeing him move, catching her up in his arms. Looking down at her, all traces of previous humor gone, he shook his head and said, "Be more careful, Katherine. I do not want you hurt."

She just nodded in response, afraid to speak.

Then, as swiftly as thought, they were moving through the passages to her room. Her breath caught in her throat at the sheer speed and smoothness of his gait. Before she could start breathing again, they were in her room and he was gently placing her on her feet by the bed. As he stepped back, she looked up into his crimson eyes and struggled to form coherent thoughts; and yet still, his marked lack of humor startled her. Alucard laughed at everything, at everyone. Why was it different now? What was he thinking?

She sensed a struggle taking place deep within him, but his eyes provided no clues as to what that struggle was.

She was about to thank him again and bid him goodnight when he stepped forward, once again so swiftly she could not follow, and lifted her to his chest, his eyes never leaving hers. Slowly he bent forward and pressed his cold lips to hers; she felt her lips tingle, and then her face and finally her whole body. Heat suffused her body, concentrating in her lower belly, causing her to moan softly against his lips. He gently ran his tongue across her lower lip, asking for entrance. She obliged by opening her mouth and felt him slip his tongue inside, gently caressing her lips and teeth, before slowly brushing along her own tongue.

He tasted of musk, and a faint tang of salt and iron – not unpleasant, but almost overwhelming in intensity. She pressed herself harder against him, gripping his hair to pull herself up. She felt him tense slightly, and then, with irrevocable strength, he pulled her hands away from his head, and lowered her softly to the ground. His coat slipped off her shoulders, leaving her standing breathless and vulnerable before him. She gasped when she saw his eyes, now burning with such intensity, looking at her, in her and through her. Her frantically beating heart thumped against her ribcage, loudly enough for her to hear its ring in her own ears.

Her wide eyes must have betrayed her feelings, because he slowly bent his head down and kissed her neck, just below her right ear, slowly moving down along her neck to the hollow of her throat. Her pulse beat like a drum, and she was breathing in short gasps.

Then his hands came up and gripped her naked hips, cradling her against him. He slowly lifted her up and started kissing down her throat to the valley between her breasts, moving slowly up the slope of the left. She thought she was about to faint as his lips and tongue lightly teased her areola and settled on her nipple, now as hard as a bullet. Just as slowly he moved to her right breast and teased her nipple to hardness.

After a few moments that felt like eternity, he slowly lowered her to the bed, and held himself suspended above her, continuing to stimulate her nipples in turn. She moaned his name, her fingers digging into his thick black hair and her lower back arching as ripples of pleasure raced down her spine. Finally after an eternity of near ecstasy, he moved his attention to her stomach, kissing in light circles around her bellybutton and lower, closer to her black sleeping shorts.

As he hooked his nimble fingers into the top of her shorts and slowly started to tug them down, over her thighs and then her ankles, she knew she was lost.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six

Sir Integra Hellsing stood by the large window behind her desk, watching her men perform their drills in the grounds below. It was late afternoon, and as soon as the sun set, their work would begin. The world out there was a mess, but on this particular day Integra could not help but feel the world inside her organization was in even greater turmoil. Things had spun out of control so quickly that not even she could have seen it coming.

But steps would be taken, as soon as Alucard arrived.

The vampire in question arrived as soon as the sun had disappeared beneath the horizon, appearing suddenly from out of nowhere. Integra was quite accustomed to him drifting through walls here and there, but even she had been caught off guard for a moment – so deep in thought was she.

"Good evening, Alucard," Integra greeted, a puff of cigar smoke escaping from her mouth and floating up past her face.

"And a good evening to you, Miss Hellsing," he answered, his voice as smooth and silky as always. She felt comforted by it, assured that her initial speculations about the situation were incorrect. Alucard had not changed.

"I want to talk to you about the incident that took place last night."

"Surely you have already spoken to Katherine about it. What more is there to say?"

Integra noticed there was no longer a cocky grin on his face, and she felt uneasy by his sudden seriousness. Something about the story was not adding up.

"I want to hear your side of it, so start talking."

"Very well, one of your men attacked Katherine during the night. He carried her off to one of the storerooms on the first floor where no one would hear her cries for help."

Integra could see he was growing quite agitated, his hands balling into fists and his teeth bared threateningly.

"Go on," she urged.

"I'm sure you can fill in the blanks for yourself. Unfortunately for him, I happened to be in the vicinity."

Integra took a long drag of her cigar before sitting down at her desk and folding her hands.

"The man's actions were no doubt completely out of line, and he deserved to be punished. But killing him? It isn't like you to act so rashly, Alucard, especially since you did not bother to consult me on the matter."

"Would you have preferred I let him continue?" Alucard asked, his tone of voice challenging her.

"Of course not, but you could have kept him alive so I could deal with him myself."

"And let him believe he can get away with what he had tried to do? What kind of an example will that set to the others if they think they will get away with a slap on the wrist?! They need to know their actions will have dire consequences. You forget that even you are a woman, Master. If you had been the intended victim, you would no doubt have given me permission to kill him."

Integra glared at him over the top of her glasses, her pale blue eyes narrowing. "You forget your place, Alucard. It is not up to you to make the decisions around here. We will let this incident slide, since the man was in the wrong."

"Fine. Will that be all?" Alucard asked, feeling impatient with the whole ordeal. He had not seen Katherine again since last night, and the incident with the soldier left him feeling anxious for her safety. He was certain no one else would try anything, not after what he had done, but still he could not shake the nagging suspicion that he needed to watch over her.

His human master, however, had other plans.

"No. As of now, you are forbidden from seeing Katherine."

If Alucard still had a beating heart, he was sure it would have stopped from shock. His eyes stared directly at Integra, waiting for her explanation for this ridiculous order.

"I know you've found her to be an amusing little toy since she first started working here, but I can tell when a woman is in love. When Katherine gave me her rendition of the story, her eyes lit up like London on the 5th of November as soon as she described how you had come to her aid. You know as well as I that it is completely unnatural, and utterly irresponsible on your part for allowing things to go so far. She is human, Alucard. Leave her to live out her life and hopefully find herself a human man she can grow old with – and die with."

Alucard remained rooted to the spot, feeling slightly disorientated, which was unusual for him. This was what he had been dreading all along. Her humanity and his immortality had been a problem from the start, yet both of them had chosen to look past that for a while. Now their world of fantasy had coming crashing down, and the harsh reality of the situation would ultimately force them apart.

Alucard turned away from his master and made to leave, but she called him back.

"Don't even think about changing her, Alucard. I allowed Ceres to stay with Hellsing because her circumstances were different, but if you turn Katherine, I _will_ send her away. Do I make myself clear?"

"Perfectly," Alucard replied, before passing through the walls as though they didn't exist.

As he wandered aimlessly through the hallways of the great mansion, Alucard found himself cursing not only his bondage, but also his immortality.

****

The darkened corridor stretched ahead of Katherine, like the gaping throat of some monster, threatening to swallow her alive. She did not pause to think about what she was doing, worried that if she did, she would turn around and return to her room without finding him.

The dungeons that lay beneath the old Hellsing castle were an intricate maze, and she knew that somewhere within this maze was Alucard's room.

Katherine rounded the corner at the end of the hallway and was met with more darkness, only it seemed to be thicker this time, more imposing and threatening. She hesitated, placing her hand against the cold, damp wall to steady herself. Taking a deep breath, she started forward, keeping her hand on the wall to guide her.

"Alucard, where are you?" she whispered into the eerie silence, afraid that if she raised her voice any higher than that, the resulting echo would awaken things that lived in the dark – things that would devour her in an instant. The corridors twisted this way and that, and Katherine began to lose track of where she was going. She began to fear she would get stuck down here, where no one would find her. She was starting to doubt that Alucard still cared, that he would come find her.

Katherine stopped abruptly, turning so that her back was pressed to the wall. Slowly she slid down to the ground, hugging her knees to her chest. What was she doing down here? She should not have come; now she was lost somewhere in a dank dungeon with nothing but the pulsing darkness; and it was closing in on her, squeezing the life out of her. Leaning her forehead against her knees, she closed her eyes wearily.

Suddenly he was there – or rather his presence. She felt him approach like a warm breeze, wrapping around her like a lover's embrace. She lifted her head, searching for any sign of him, but saw nothing. She did, however, feel as though he were tugging at her sleeve, urging her to rise and follow. Unsteadily she rose to her feet, leaving the safety of the wall and trusting wholeheartedly in him.

He led her along in the dark, finally stopping outside a heavy wooden door. Without any hesitation, she pulled on the door and descended the short flight of stairs on the other side. At the bottom she stopped, and there he was, seated in his throne-like chair at the end of the passage, looking every bit like a king of the night. Her heart leapt up in her throat at the sight of him, and she found herself unable to move, mesmerized by his dark beauty. That all too familiar grin was on his face, and his blazing red eyes were staring at her from behind a screen of messy black hair. She opened her mouth in an attempt to speak, but words had failed her entirely. His grin widened, and he stretched out his hand, beckoning to her.

The spell had been broken, and she hurried to obey, moving towards him. He opened his arms for her, and she climbed into his lap like a small child, resting her head against his shoulder while his arms wrapped comfortingly around her.

They sat in silence for a while, and finally the questions she had been burning to ask surfaced.

"Alucard, why didn't you come to me? Didn't you want to see me?"

"Shh," he soothed, stroking her hair. She could not help but smile; he was right, they shouldn't waste their time with talk. She felt his hand touch hers, his fingers slowly tracing up her arm, stroking her neck and finally stopping at her chin which he tilted up. She had only a second to look into his eyes before he closed the gap between them, his lips gently brushing against hers. She felt herself melt in his embrace, her hand grabbing hold of the front of his shirt and pulling him closer to her. Her desire grew in intensity, and she broke away from him, pulling back a little so she could look at him.

"Alucard, I want to belong to only you, and I want you to have _all_ of me."

He said nothing, staring at her for a few tense moments. She could not make out what he was thinking, his face too shadowed for her to see his expression clearly. He launched forward suddenly, his lips claiming hers in a hard, fiery kiss. His passion overwhelmed her senses, and she barely noticed that he had risen with her still in his arms. He moved swiftly, leaving his cell and carrying her all the way back up to her room where he dropped her onto the bed before crawling onto her. His lips had not left hers once, but he broke away now and grabbed hold of her top, ripping it off of her with no regard for her clothing.

Not that she minded; their last night together had left her anxious and longing for more from him. She opened her legs to accommodate him better, and a low moan involuntarily escaped from her throat when his lower body came into contact with hers. His hand ran up the side of her leg, slipping beneath her skirt and causing her to arch her back while whispering his name. Alucard took advantage of this and reached around behind her, his nimble fingers finding her bra hook. Expertly he unhooked it, and it fell away, exposing her to him. His infamous grin returned as his eyes devoured her. Katherine felt her cheeks redden and she bit her lower lip, but slyly she lifted her hands to his shirt, fumbling with the buttons. His grin turned into a smirk, but he allowed her to continue, and within moments his shirt hung open, revealing his broad, strong chest. With wonder in her eyes, she traced along his cool skin with her hands, but he did not allow her to continue for long before her yanked her towards him, claiming her lips once more. She pressed up against him, feeling her excitement and yearning mount. His lips moved down to her neck, and she tilted her head back to allow him more access. She felt his hands touching her everywhere, driving her to the brink of ecstasy. When he removed the last item of clothing separating them, she wrapped her arms around his upper body, digging her nails into the flesh on his back. Her breathing accelerated until she was practically panting in his ear.

"Alucard," she whispered in a pleading voice, begging him to possess her body and soul, to send her over the edge of pleasure.

All of a sudden he was everywhere – inside and out. Her vision was clouded with images of him, of his blood red eyes which seemed to penetrate to the core of her soul. Katherine closed her eyes in pure bliss, before opening them again so she could look at him.

What she saw was not Alucard – her love, her life – but the face of the soldier who had attacked her, a triumphant grin on his face.

"Got you now, woman."

She screamed in horror, and suddenly she was lying alone in her bed, the sheets tangled around her legs and a thin sheen of sweat covering her forehead. She sat upright and looked around, but there was no one in sight.

A dream – it had all been a dream.

More like a nightmare.

With a sigh of relief, she collapsed back onto the bed, staring blankly up at the ceiling. It had all felt so real; she was certain she had given herself up to Alucard.

"Oh Alucard," she whispered brokenly, burying her face in her pillow as hot tears soaked the casing.

Unbeknownst to her, Alucard was watching through the eyes of his fledgling Ceres Victoria who, on his command, had hidden herself in Katherine's room. He saw the expression of fear on her face, heard the anguish in her voice, and even smelled the salt of her tears.

But all he could do was watch as she cried herself to sleep.

"Master, do you want me to stay?" Ceres asked telepathically.

"No, you may go."

He could not watch any longer; it was bad enough that he was restricted to only seeing her through the eyes of others, but now, when she really needed him, he could not even be there in person.

"I'm sorry, Katherine."


	7. Chapter 7

chapter seven

Alucard silently watched her from the shadows, bound by the order of his human master; unable to fully disobey, yet unable to stay away from her either. She was like gravity, drawing him in, closer and deeper with every move, every breath and every touch. If it were still capable of doing so, his pulse would have been racing at the mere thought of their night together, almost a week ago now.

As she walked past him in the passage, going about her daily business and not even realizing he was there, he ghosted along behind her and whispered in her ear, "I am still here."

She jumped in surprise; then a smile lit her features.

"I know," she replied. He had explained to her what Sir Integra had asked of him, of the compulsion he faced to obey and disobey, and he knew she understood. But this did not make it any easier for either of them to accept. He restricted himself to only watching over her at night and when she wandered the hallways of the mansion; it was an exquisite agony he was forced to endure.

Ever since her arrival at Hellsing, Katherine had been hard at work designing and building a new type of weapon system, her specialty being the blending of blessed silver and modern war materials to create powerful undead destroying firearms, which was proving to be invaluable to the Hellsing organization. Finally after months of work, it was ready, and when the opportunity came for the testing of the new system she had designed, she prepared herself to once more enter the field. News had come of an infestation of Vampires in a village near Cornwall, where the disappearances had been specifically those of young ladies of a certain demographic. Pretty, pale skinned and dark haired, indicating a sexual predator who combined his lust for flesh and for blood in a plague of murders and disappearances in the area.

Sir Integra had specified that Alucard would not be needed for this particular mission as the target vampire was clearly inexperienced and incapable of creating legions of slaves. Katherine was selected to go along and supervise the deployment of a new hand cannon, capable of delivering a blessed silver warhead carrying a new version of Napalm that only burned the undead. A squad of soldiers would provide protection and a strike group, led by Ceres, would take the vampire out.

Alucard could not dispel the unease he felt over the whole situation, unsure of whether it was a premonition of disaster or his need to be close to Katherine, to prevent any harm from befalling her.

But he had no choice, and obeyed the command given to him, staying behind while the rest of the troops were dispatched, Katherine along with them. He did, however, keep in constant contact with Ceres through telepathy in order to monitor the situation. He followed the reports on the radio network as well, allowing him to build a clear picture of what was transpiring in the area.

If anything happened, he would know about it.

****

Katherine stood atop a grassy knoll, watching the battle taking place in the distance through a pair of binoculars. She focused specifically on the soldiers making use of her weapons, taking note of effectiveness of their utilization. All was going well so far, and she had heard from the soldiers guarding her that Sir Integra was on her way. The vampire needed to be captured alive; they needed to determine whether he was a chipped Freak or a pure Vampire.

A cold shiver ran down Katherine's spine as she sensed a pair of eyes watching her. She was familiar with this feeling; it often helped her determine when Alucard was close by, but he had been ordered to stay behind, and it felt slightly different this time, threatening.

Shrugging off the nagging suspicion that someone else was there watching her, she raised the binoculars once more to watch. She noticed that the small group of ghouls had been taken care of, and the soldiers were now moving into the surrounding forest, going in search of the vampire's lair.

A strange gurgling sound came from the left, and Katherine felt something wet splash onto her arm. Glancing down, she was puzzled to find dark red spots staining her sleeve. Her brain processed the information too slowly to keep up with the fast-moving entity that was slaughtering the guards around her one by one. She had enough time only to see the first man drop to the ground, his face and neck nothing more than a mass of bloody red gashes before something grabbed her from behind. Trees passed before her eyes in a green and brown blur as she was carried off at an inhuman speed.

"You have the scent of another vampire on you," the creature said, sniffing down her body. She tried to push him away, but was having a hard time even determining which way was up.

"That's right, and he'll come after you if you don't let me go!" she threatened, hoping he would be wary enough to heed her warning. But the monster merely laughed at her.

"The only reason he's interested in you is because of your virgin blood. Once I take that away, he'll have no more need for you."

"That's not true! Alucard would never –" Her words were cut off when he suddenly released his hold on her, dropping her harshly to the ground. She landed with a heavy thud on the left side of her body, but she slowly pushed herself back up, loudly cursing the vampire for hurting her.

"Oh be quiet you noisy bitch!" he yelled, smacking the side of her face with enough force to throw her frail human body across the clearing. Before passing out in a crumpled heap on the ground, Katherine's last thoughts were of the vampire's words to her.

_Alucard. . ._

_. . .it can't be true. . ._

****

When Sir Integra's helicopter landed outside the village, she realized the situation was worse than expected and that the vampire had been greatly underestimated. Initially all had been going well, with Kit's new weapon used effectively against the small group of ghouls near the village, and the strike team closing in on the lair of the vampire. However when the lair, an old abandoned wood cutter's shed, was breached, there was no sign of the target vampire. At the same time the squad guarding Kit was attacked by an entity moving too fast to follow easily, which slaughtered a large part of the group and abducted Katherine from the staging area.

Sir Integra immediately authorized the release of Alucard to salvage the situation. He was, however, already on his way, moving through the night as always in the blink of an eye, unseen and unheard until he released his devastating talents on his enemies. Ceres had informed him of the abduction, and yet he had to report to Integra first, though he chafed at the delay; he burned to find and save her – before that ungodly creature took what was his.

As he arrived on the scene, Integra was supervising the men finishing off the last of the ghouls, and she signaled him to attend her. Before she could say anything he asked, "Where is Katherine?" Once again the intensity of his voice and manner implied the tension he was under. Integra looked him in the eye and calmly said, "She has been taken. She knew the risks and willingly accompanied us."

He stared her in the eye, his anger slowly building to the point where he had trouble maintaining his façade of calm indifference.

"I _will _find her and stop the wretched being who has taken her. I will tear up this entire forest if I have to, and I will not allow you to stand in my way," he stated, and for the for the first time in their relationship, not waiting for a confirmation of her order, released the restrictions on himself and melted into the dark, following the scent of her who had come to mean so much to him.

Integra was left standing, discomfited and surprised at the reaction of her servant.

As he tracked her through the woods surrounding the town, Alucard knew he had little time left; the predator was clearly following a pattern here, and none of the victims had ever been found. He burned with anxiety and a wrath that would only be satisfied by the slaying of the creature who had dared to take that which belonged to him – to destroy it completely and painfully.

He came upon the killing ground suddenly, and saw crouched there the vampire, dressed in an old woodcutter's uniform, scraggly hair blowing in the wind and crimson eyes fastened to the limp form in front of him. As Alucard appeared, the creature lowered its head and licked the neck and jaw of Katherine, who was still unmoving on the ground, lapping up a small trickle of her blood from the corner of her mouth. The familiar grim smile flashed across Alucard's face as he heard the beating of her heart, and saw the steady rise and fall of her chest as she breathed.

The creature hissed and looked up at him threateningly, whispering, "She is mine now; I will turn her into my plaything for eternity!"

So saying he tore her uniform blouse off, exposing her breasts to the cool night air, and roughly ran his hand over them.

"So warm and soft," he said.

Before another move could be made, Alucard blurred into motion, one hand grabbing and breaking the creature's left arm, ripping it off and throwing it into the forest, his other casually twisting the creatures neck in a 360 degree circle.

Grabbing the clothing of the beast, he ripped him into the air and calmly stated, "Be glad my master wants you brought back alive," before slamming the creature onto the ground. He pulled out a long, silver blade from the folds of his cloak and stabbed the creature on the right side of his chest, pushing the blade right through until it was in the ground, keeping him pinned and squirming in agony.

"Be a good vampire and stay there until they come for you."

Alucard turned to look at Katherine, thinking of all the times her life had been threatened since she started working for Hellsing. The situation was only made worse by his attraction to her, and for the first time in centuries, he felt a prickle of guilt.

Picking Katherine up was the work of mere moments, and he once again covered her with his cloak, wrapping her tightly in it before cradling her against his chest. Appearing at Integra's helicopter a moment later, he looked her in the eyes and said, "You will look after her, no harm will befall her…" the threat in his voice clearly evident. Gently laying her in the helicopter seat he vanished into the night, there to explore the new feelings he experienced.

Could it be that he had finally, after centuries found his true soul carrier? The one who could both destroy and complete him?

He would have to be careful, this lore was known to only a few of the oldest vampires, a lore that was guarded to the death….

Upon his return to the mansion, he watched the medical team revive Katherine and after treatment for her fortunately minor wounds, escort her to her room. He observed her looking around desperately for him, seeking his form in any of the dark corners of her room before the f9o medication took effect and she fell into a restless sleep, whispering his name.


	8. Chapter 8

chapter eight

In the days that followed the vampire attack, Katherine found herself mulling over the creature's words, replaying them over and over in her mind like a broken record.

"_The only reason he's interested in you is because of your virgin blood. . ."_

"_. . .Once I take that away, __**he'll have no more need for you**__."_

She did not want to believe, but Kit was confused in herself, and for the first time in her life she was uncertain of what path to follow.

She knew that she wanted, needed and desired Alucard, as she had never felt before. At the same time she realized what he was, his heritage and dark renown. However, she could not bring herself to believe that he was a complete monster; she just had to think of the night they had spent together, of the gentle touch of his hands, and the way he always seemed to draw her in, encasing her in his arms so as to shield her from the rest of the world.

She felt her cheeks color just thinking of the abandon they had both displayed, knowing that it was his self control that had ended the night of pleasure before her virginity had been taken. He had not wished to go into detail about why he chose not to possess her completely, but before she could press him, his hands and tongue had her in ecstasy again, all thought fleeing from her mind. Even now she was uncertain of her feelings about this; was it a rejection, or some obscure kind of honor on his behalf?

Or was it perhaps something darker and more sinister than that? Perhaps he was biding his time, waiting for the opportune moment when he could feast off her blood – her virgin blood.

These questions plagued her night and day. She needed to speak to him, and demand the explanation she deserved. But now the fact that they could not overtly spend time together made the situation even harder for her to understand. He watched over her; she knew without a doubt that he was always in the shadows, somewhere even now, her own dark angel of protection.

It all seemed ridiculously ironic.

The captured vampire, the one who had come so close to turning her, was locked in the specialized research cells in the sub-basement, and she felt strangely attracted to the area, wanting to see what was being done about the creature. Part of her mind warned her of the danger; after all, it was her insatiable curiosity for the dark monsters that had put her in this position in the first place. Still, it was as if these creatures had some kind of spell over her. She could not resist their call.

On her way down the stairs she saw Sir Integra in the distance, headed in the same direction, and felt a sudden upsurge of anger and resentment towards the woman. The bruise on Katherine's cheek and the pain in her left side from when the vampire had dropped her onto the ground were the fruits of Sir Integra's decision to keep Alucard from her. If he had been there. . .

Katherine stopped dead, hearing her own thoughts echo within her head. Was she even listening to herself? If _he _had been there? When had she come to depend so much on a man, and an undead one for that matter? Frustrated with herself, Katherine hurried her steps along and caught up with the leader of the Hellsing organization just as she was entering the observation room.

Sir Integra ignored her completely and devoted her attention to the creature bound in the research room. It was held down on a table with pure blessed silver shackles, and a full squad of guards was posted around the room, keeping vigil. Katherine eyed the security, noting the amount of precaution that had been taken; and yet she still felt a shiver run through her body as the creature locked eyes with her and smiled a sickly smile, lips forming the words, "Ah my sweet you are still following me."

Katherine took an involuntary step backwards, unable to draw her eyes away from the creature. Sir Integra, noticing the reaction, frowned and reviewed the information given to her by Alucard and the surviving squad members from the attack. The vampire had targeted Katherine, and taken her away; it had not killed her and was stopped only just before it transformed her. She realized then how difficult it must have been for Alucard to stop him. He could have let her be changed and then claim her as apprentice as well.

She was duly impressed by his self-control; clearly he felt more than he was letting on.

Turning to the scientist team leader, she asked for an update on the situation, and he replied, "Sir, from the preliminary scans it is clear this vampire is of true nature; it is not a freak-chip created monster. It was apparently created some 60 years ago, and old police reports show in life he was a serial rapist and murderer who targeted young, dark haired girls specifically."

Integra looked at the creature and stated, "Well then we need to kill it, and find its creator as well."

The scientist was about to reply when Alucard appeared out of nowhere.

"He was created by one of the dark continent brood; I could taste the madness in him," Alucard explained.

Katherine jumped at the sound of his deep, sensual voice coming from right behind her, and then found herself blushing as he moved closely past her, his hand seeming to brush her arm by mistake. Integra glanced at Alucard and asked, "Do you know him?"

"No, he is a stranger, an unknown," Alucard replied, folding his arms across his chest, his gaze directed at the captured vampire, though he was acutely aware of Katherine standing mutely behind him.

Alucard sensed something was wrong before the sudden surge of power was felt in the room, directed from outside at the vampire in the next room. With a sudden burst of strength it ripped the manacles out of the walls and flung them at the nearest guards, crushing their skulls. Sir Integra sighed as though she had been expecting the worst before ordering Alucard to deal with it and walking calmly away. Alucard gave his famous fighting grin and disappeared into the next room, already drawing the jackal out of its sheath under his arm.

The vampire meanwhile was already decimating the squad of guards, turning them into ghouls on the spot. Instead of leaving with Sir Integra, Katherine armed herself and prepared to do battle, as the first ghouls broke through the glass partitions. As long as she was not overwhelmed she would be able to handle the ghouls until the rescue squad came in.

She was, however, unaware of Integra's order holding the rescue squad back, to see what developed if Katherine was put in danger again.

Katherine continued to fire at the ghouls slowly closing in on her, keeping track of how many rounds she used and becoming increasingly aware that she would run out of ammunition before all the ghouls were dead. She kept assuring herself that back up would be arriving soon, yet could not help but panic at their delay.

Meanwhile, Alucard had already dispatched the first set of ghouls without even pausing to blink, and was engaged in destroying the vampire. As they exchanged the first set of blows and shots, he became aware of the problem in the next room. She was fighting against a large number of ghouls and was in danger of being overwhelmed; he could also sense that the rescue squad was not on its way yet, and this both mystified and angered him. Hearing her cry out his name, he took a millisecond to look back at her, seeing her go under a tumble of ghouls, and then made the decision to merely disable his opponent for the present to help her.

Shooting both legs and both arms off the vampire temporarily disabled it, and in the blink of an eye he was in the other room, effortlessly disposing of the ghouls crowding her. He tenderly picked her up out of the mass of bodies and was about to set her down on her feet when a massive blow from behind sent him reeling forward.

"She is mine!" screeched the creature, suddenly sprouting not just four limbs, but eight. Smashing Alucard again, his left side was reduced to pulp and blood. He was vaguely aware of Katherine screaming in horror, but his thoughts were not on consoling her.

In that second he realized he was faced with only 2 choices: drop Katherine and risk fighting the creature at this level or voluntarily releasing control and risk hurting her in the process. He observed the creature gaining even more strength, absorbing the corpses of the ghouls around it. He realized this was a much more powerful vampire that he originally thought.

Torn between his wish to protect Katherine and his desire to indulge in what was turning out to be an interesting battle, Alucard made the fateful decision, and released the controls on him, going straight to the third level of power release. Setting Kit on her feet, he refused to look at her, knowing he may not be able to control himself, and loosed the Jackal on the creature, tearing it to bits, laughing and taunting it all the time. The other vampire seemed unperturbed by the bullets ripping through him, and Alucard realized with glee that he would be able to have a little more fun with this one.  
"Come on! Give me your best shot!"

The other vampire snatched up a stay gun that had been dropped by one of the now dead soldiers and began firing at Alucard. The specialized bullets ripped through him, burning his skin and muscle to mush. Parts of Alucard splattered onto the ground as his body was slowly broken down.

Katherine watched with wide eyes, horrified by what she was witnessing. Alucard – the strongest vampire she had seen so far – was being ripped to shreds by the bullets _she _had helped create. Instinct told her that once Alucard had been completely destroyed, she would be the next one to die. She needed to move, to run away and find help, but her limbs were frozen in terror, and she held her breath as she watched him disappearing before her very eyes.

The firing stopped, and the other vampire started to laugh hysterically, dropping the firearm on the ground and staring in triumph at the puddle of blood and flesh on the ground – the remains of Alucard.

"The fool underestimated me." Slowly his eyes lifted to look at Katherine, who was still standing frozen to the spot.

"Kit, get away from there!" came a voice from the doorway. It was Walter, his expression marred by the fear he felt for Katherine's safety.

"Don't listen to him, my sweet. Come to me," the vampire hissed, and the moment his voice reached her ears, she felt all her emotions melt away, replaced by a blessed dull sensation. Her lids grew heavy, and her vision became more distorted. She was vaguely aware that her feet had taken a step forward, but it felt more like she was floating than walking. Before she could take another step, a new sound penetrated through the spell, the sound of a familiar voice laughing. It grew louder and more intense with each second, and she blinked in surprise when she noticed movement on the ground at her feet. Alucard's blood was moving, swirling together and forming a black mass. She watched as the mass grew taller, forming a shape that was not quite human. A big, black dog took form and faced the vampire, its mouth open in a threatening snarl that revealed a row of sharp white teeth. The vampire seemed just as surprised as she was by what they were seeing, but before either of them could react, the hound launched itself forward, jaws latching onto the vampire's neck. Katherine had time only to blink before she saw the vampire's neck snap in two and the head roll from the shoulders, landing with a thud on the ground. The headless corpse keeled over, only to be further mutilated by the vicious black dog.

The strong, salty smell of blood was thick in the room, making Katherine feel sick to her stomach. She was finally able to tear her eyes away from the bloodshed, but she stayed focused on the dog, who was once more changing shape, becoming Alucard once more. She longed to go to him, to feel him wrap his arms around her, and to hide away from the carnage that surrounded her.

"Alucard," she called, her hand reaching tentatively towards him. His head whipped around at the sound of her voice and she froze again when she saw the look on his face. His mouth was covered with blood which dripped down his chin and onto the front of his shirt. His eyes were frightening to look at, clouded with the red haze of combat and bloodlust. His lips curled back, revealing his blood-stained fangs and he started to move towards her, the thud of his boots echoing ominously. With each step he took towards her, she took one back. He suddenly launched himself at her with blinding speed, one gloved hand stretched out to grab hold of her throat.

"Alucard!" came a shout from the side, the voice of his human master. He managed to halt the strike in time, but when he looked down at his intended prey, into her terrified eyes and saw her staring up at him with one hand to her mouth and tears glistening in the corners of her eyes, he read the realization of his murderous intent in her face.

"A-A-Alucard?"

Frozen for a moment in that split second of time, he saw the monster he was in her eyes, in her acceptance of death.

And it broke him.

Without another word, she turned and fled from him, brushing past Walter and Integra, ignoring Walter's cry for her to stop.

An unearthly howl tore from Alucard's lips before he vanished into the darkness, leaving behind the death and destruction.

Leaving behind the pain he had caused in the woman he had grown to love.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter nine

"**She took my heart, I think she took my Soul." **

**Closer – Kings of Leon**

_In the total darkness of his personal cell, of his personal hell, Alucard sat in complete isolation and deathly silence. He had stayed thus for 3 days after the incident in the research room, still able to picture it with a pure clarity that caused him equal pain to the incident itself. He realized with heartbreaking certainty that only a microscopic strand of love had allowed him to stop himself on time. He would have taken her blood and her life in the blink of an eye. For the first time in his seemingly endless existence, he felt – felt with a clarity and eloquence that shook him to the core. He could not dismiss this with cynical laughter or amusement, the way he hid his feelings of gratitude towards his master. This was deeper, more real; and it made him realize something else. _

_He, Alucard, was afraid. _

_Far off, as if in a dream, he heard the anguished cry of her soul as she gave up on him – gave up on them._

_Katherine sat in her room, staring at her hands folded on her lap in front of her. For 3 days after the incident she had lived her life in neutral; eating mechanically what was served to her, sleeping when necessary, working when required – all the while submersed in thought and painful remembering. She had finally come to her senses, come to realize what Alucard was in his most elemental and brutal core, and it frightened her. He was a monster, a darkness that held a deep attraction to her for that very reason, since she sensed how hard a small part of him fought to be decent. Not the least by saving her life multiple times, and protecting Sir Integra. _

_And yet, despite how hard he strove towards that goal, he had come within an inch of killing her. The monstrous part of him would always be there, lurking in the shadows, waiting. She could still remember the expression of lustful hunger on his face, not the good kind he awakened in her as well, but the face of a predator looking at its prey. She was afraid, more afraid than she had ever been. She knew he could find her at any time and nothing could stop him. She was powerless against him; her life was nothing more than a feeble, dry twig which he could snap in two with minimal effort. She recalled with even greater clarity the intensely pained howl of anguish as she fled from him. It broke her heart, but she no longer had the strength to fight for their forbidden love. With her mind made up, she rose from her chair and went in search of Integra._

****

Integra Hellsing sat in her office, smoking a cigar and thinking of the problem she was faced with. She had to make a decision regarding Alucard and Katherine, and she had to do it before any more damage could be done. She had not realized the depth of Alucard's infatuationwith Katherine.

She hesitated for a moment; was it only an infatuation? Or was there something more? Alucard had never displayed any feelings except for malice, amusement and cynicism; after all he was still only a vampire. Shaking off her doubts, she resolved to remove the problem; but that would mean getting rid of Katherine. Her work was excellent, but the distraction to Alucard was not worth the risk. He was her most potent weapon, he belonged to her.

Walter entered into the office, bringing with him her afternoon tea.

"Walter, I may have to let her go," Integra said, smoke billowing from her mouth, keeping her gaze locked straight ahead. The elderly butler considered her words a moment, knowing exactly who his master was referring to. He said nothing for a while, pouring Integra a cup of tea and placing it down in front of her.

"It would be a pity to lose her," he finally said.

"I cannot afford to lose Alucard."

"Agreed, however I think I may have an alternative solution to the problem."

Integra faced him now, raising the cup of tea to her lips.

"Well, let's hear it then."

********

"I quit."

Integra's forehead creased with a frown and she took a long drag of her cigar, deciding how best to address the woman in front of her. Katherine's eyes were fiercely determined, a look Integra had not yet seen in the younger woman before. Despite this new found strength, Integra could see how the last few days had taken its toll on her. Integra did not regret the role she had played during the incident in the research facility; it had been necessary to open up Katherine's eyes to the truth. What she did feel slightly guilty about though was the visible results the truth had produced in Katherine. She seemed even frailer now than she had appeared to be when she first arrived. Walter had informed her that Katherine's appetite had all but disappeared, saying that she picked at her food more than she actually consumed it. It showed in the pale color of her skin and the lack strength in her drooping shoulders. She was close to breaking point – Integra could tell.

"Did you hear what I said?"

"I did. I was merely wondering why," Integra replied coolly. Katherine gave a short, derisive laugh. Integra knew her question had sounded foolish; they both knew exactly why she had said what she said, but the purpose of her question had been to direct the conversation towards the problem where she could hopefully offer up a solution which would benefit both of them.

When Katherine realized Integra was really waiting for her answer, she sighed, directing her gaze down at her hands.

"I need to get away from here, from –" She halted her sentence, afraid to continue, but Integra knew what she wanted to say.

"From _him_," Integra finished. Katherine nodded wordlessly, her eyes still focused on her clenched hands.

"To be honest with you, I had been thinking it might be for the best if you left our organization. However, as Walter so clearly pointed out to me, we still need your talents. It would be a waste of our valuable time to find and train someone new, not to mention the security risk it poses having to introduce another stranger to our world."

"So what are you suggesting? That I stay and try to ignore everything? I can't do that."

"Not exactly. What if you continued to work for Hellsing from the outside?"

"The outside? You mean outside of the castle?"

"Yes. You may move out and go stay anywhere you like. If you agree to this, we can increase your salary to include a housing allowance. You will not be sent into the field again, your only requirements being to continue to manufacture new weapons."

Katherine rubbed her chin thoughtfully, weighing her options. Integra knew she did not really want to quit her work, that she was only leaving to escape her surroundings. Katherine was good at what she did; this opportunity was the best thing that could happen to her.

"Before you decide for sure, however, I need to warn you about two things," said Integra.

"Alright," Katherine replied, her voice wavering uncertainly.

"First of all, you need to remember that should you leave, you will no longer fall under the protection of our security. It is unlikely that any enemy will target you since you will not appear to be connected to Hellsing on the surface, but if for some reason you are targeted, there will be no one around to protect you." She wanted to say Alucard would not be around to protect her, but felt the subject was still too touchy to bring up. Katherine nodded to show she understood, which brought Integra to her final and most difficult point.

"The other thing concerns Alucard," Integra started. She noted how Katherine's body tensed.

"As you know, I forbade Alucard from seeing you regarding personal matters, but as we've both seen, his obedience goes only so far. In times when your life was threatened, he did not think twice about defying me."

Integra saw the way Katherine avoided her gaze, as though she were ashamed at being the reason for Alucard's problem with authority, but Integra pressed on, anxious to get her point across.

"While Alucard is my servant, he also has a mind of his own, something which I cannot discourage without robbing him of everything that makes him who he is. With that said, the only solution to our little problem lies with you."

Katherine's eyes shot up in surprise and she leaned forward in her chair.

"With me?"

Integra paused long enough to remove the cigar from her mouth before replying. "The only way Alucard will stay away from you is if you explicitly ask him to. In other words, you need to be the one to end this."

Integra allowed her words to sink in, watching for a reaction in the woman seated across from her. Katherine had lowered her gaze once more, but Integra could see the struggle going on inside of her from the pained expression on her face. She was taking a gamble suggesting this to her. Despite what had happened, there was no reason to think Katherine's feelings for Alucard had changed enough for her to sever all ties with him.

"Fine. I'll do it."

Now it was Integra's turn to be surprised. Just like that she had caved. It made Integra believe that perhaps she too had merely been temporarily infatuated, that her feelings did not run as deep as she had initially imagined. Clearing her throat, Integra said, "Very well Miss Elbourne. It will be seen to."

"Good. Then if you'll excuse me, I have some packing to do," Katherine calmly said, rising from her seat and moving to the door. There was a clear difference in her; she moved differently now than she had when she first came into the office. Her shoulders no longer drooped, and there was a cold determination in her gait.

But even though she tried to convince herself otherwise, Integra could sense the deep pit of despair lurking just beneath the surface of Katherine's false strength. She had meant it when she told Katherine they needed her talents, but she also knew now that while this was a good opportunity, it would also be the death of her. This job was slowly chipping away at Katherine, and it would not be long until nothing remained anymore.

She was only human after all.

****

In typical Integra Hellsing style, everything had been arranged in record time. Katherine had spent the afternoon packing up her belongings, and by the following morning everything was ready for her departure. No one other than Integra and Walter knew of Katherine's departure, and she was escorted out of the castle grounds just as the sun was rising, before the others could rise and see her leave. It was also the one time of day when she knew both vampires would be hidden away deep within the dark dungeons.

She did not mind the early departure; sleep had not been attainable, and she spent the whole night tossing and turning in her bed, thinking about what she would say to Alucard when she next saw him. He would no doubt sense her presence was no longer nearby and come looking. After the inevitable incident where he nearly took her life, he had left her in peace, giving her the space she needed, content to know she was still within the castle grounds. Now, however, it would be a different story; Katherine knew with certainty. He would come to her – no doubt; she knew because she would have done the same thing had the roles been reversed.

How quickly would he react to her absence? She did not know. Only time would tell.

She thought about what she would say to him as she sat in the back of the cab; she thought about what she would say to him as she stopped outside of her mother's house; she thought about what she would say to him as she was greeted by her overprotective mother, whose first words to her were about how terrible she looked.

"Have you come home for good?" asked her mother as she helped her carry her things upstairs to her old room.

"It's just temporary, until I can find a suitable place I can work from."

"So you're still working for that top-secret facility? Worst decision you ever made."

"Mother. . ."

"No, just look at you! They are no doubt overworking you. You look like you haven't slept or had a decent meal in days. If you had just stayed at with your old job you could have lived a nice, normal life and be married to that boy. . .what's his name?"

"Nathan?"

"That's the one! I always liked him."

"Why don't you marry him then?"

"Don't take that tone with me!"

Katherine sighed and turned to face her mother.

"Please mother, I have enough on my plate as it is. For once can you just be the mother I need, not the one you think I need."

Her words had an instant sobering effect on her mother, who immediately fell silent. She nodded understandingly, kissed her daughter's cheek, and then left her alone to once more ponder over her selection of words.

At one point Katherine must have fallen asleep, because when she woke the sun was already setting. Angry with herself for sleeping the whole day away but realizing she had needed the rest, she made her way downstairs in search of her mother. She found her in the kitchen, preparing dinner.

"Hungry?"

"Starving," Katherine replied, leaning against the kitchen countertop.

"You slept the whole day. Feeling better now?"

"I guess," was her answer. Katherine's mother said nothing for a moment, but as was typical of her personality, she did not remain quiet for long.

"Katherine, did something happen?"

"What do you mean?"

"You seem different, troubled by something. Is it a man?"

At that point, Katherine found herself wishing she could tell her mother everything, but legally she was still bound by contract, and anything related to vampires was out of bounds, including her relationship with Alucard.

"I can't talk about it, Mother, but it helps to know you care enough to ask."

"Of course, you're my daughter."

After dinner, Katherine stayed up with her mother watching TV, too afraid to return to her room, wary of what – or who – might be waiting there for her. Every part of her body was on edge. By now, Alucard will have realized she had left. It was possible he would simply let her go, but even though Katherine was terrified of him, that attraction was still there, and part of her believed it was still there in him too.

When her mother finally turned in for the night, leaving her alone in the semi-lit room, she found herself unable to focus on the images flashing across the television screen. With no one around to keep her distracted, she wallowed in the flood of emotions building up inside of her, threatening to drown her from the inside. She had asked herself countless times in the past few days whether or not she would have been upset if she had died that day, and the answer she always came up with was 'yes'. Katherine wanted to be with Alucard more than anyone else, but the idea of giving up her humanity, of leaving behind everyone else, of evolving into something more than she was – than she was meant to be; it made her uneasy. If there were some way she could keep both Alucard and her humanity, she would jump at the chance; but the very nature of Alucard's existence made that impossible.

The choice lay between life and death. Life she knew; death was unfamiliar. It was all too much for her to handle.

Katherine raised the TV remote and pressed the power button, shutting the television off and plunging the room into total darkness. It took a while for her eyes to adjust, but once they did, she rose from the couch and slowly made her way upstairs to her bedroom. She was halfway up the stairs when she became aware of his presence, causing her to stop.

He had come, just as she had predicted, and he was waiting for her. It took a few minutes to gather her wits, and she forced herself to relapse into that cold resolve she had adopted during her meeting with Integra. She needed to do what was necessary, no matter how hard it might be.

Taking a deep breath, she continued up the stairs, stopping outside her bedroom. The door stood ajar, and the inside was dark. She could see nothing, but decided against switching the light on. Even though she appeared calm on the outside, Katherine felt as though her heart were beating out of her chest. He was so close now she could smell him – that pleasant aroma made up of a variety of scents, many of which she could not name but had come to appreciate nonetheless. The old familiarity returned, and she felt her fear and uncertainty melt away a little, giving way to the affection she held for him. Katherine entered into the room and closed the door behind her, keeping her eyes closed until the last moment. When she finally opened them, she immediately saw him leaning against the dresser with his arms folded across his chest. There was no sarcastic smirk, no teasing grin, no malicious chuckle – only the grim set of his jaw, and the unnerving glare of his crimson eyes.

"You shouldn't be here, Alucard."

"Shouldn't I? You left without a word."

"There is a reason I left without telling you."

"Is it because of Integra's orders?"

"No Alucard, it's because I needed to get away from you!"

She could tell her words had stung him by the spasm that seized his body, but she thought the only way to sever the bond between them was to do it quickly.

"You are really that afraid of me?" he asked softly. Katherine did not reply, knowing it was unnecessary. Her reactions were enough to answer his question. Alucard took a step closer to her, causing Katherine to try and back away, only to be stopped by the door. He ceased his movement and remained where he was.

"Katherine," he started, his voice pleading. "I'm. . .I'm. . ." He stopped, uncertain how to say what needed to be said. He had never apologized to anyone before, for anything. It just was not in his nature.

But this was different.

"It's ok; I know you're sorry," she interrupted, reading his thoughts as easily as he could read hers.

"If you know, then why?"

"It's not enough," she whispered, her eyes glazing over with unshed tears. "I thought it would be different. I thought that, because of what we shared, you would be able to control yourself."

Alucard looked away, struggling with himself and the shame he felt. Katherine, however, did not stop there.

"I don't blame you for what happened. I know what you are. It was inevitable, as was the end of our relationship. As long as I am still human, your immortality will always get in the way."

"And you wouldn't want to end up a monster like me."

"I did not say that!" she remarked, her voice rising a little.

"You didn't have to."

"I can't do it, Alucard. I am not like Ceres."

Alucard turned away, walking over to the window, his tall frame blocking out the moonlight.

"No, you are a human clinging to your humanity. Ceres is a vampire resisting the darkness, struggling to remain humane." What he did not add was the fact that he envied Katherine for being able to retain her humanity. He would never want to take that away from her, but he also did not want to lose her. He was caught between two conflicting decisions; either he let her remain human and lose her forever, or he changed her and risked having her hate him for all eternity. Alucard knew she wished to remain human for now; he also knew he had to warn her of the dangers this decision would bring.

Turning back to her, Alucard closed the distance between them, moving too fast for her to react. He kept her pinned to the door, his arms pressed on either side of her head to prevent her from escaping, but he felt something press against his chest and glanced down to see a small firearm held tightly in her hand, no doubt loaded with her specialized ammunition. They both knew it would not kill him, that it was in fact quite useless, but obviously it gave her a sense of security having the weapon aimed at his chest, at his heart. Part of him wished she would pull the trigger so he could feel the burning metal rip through his still heart – a physical wound to match the emotional one her lack of faith in him produced. The fear in her eyes brought an overwhelming sense of sorrow, but at the same time it angered him that she had come to view him as a cold-blooded killer in such a short amount of time.

"No matter how you feel right now, Katherine, you are still mine."

The fear left her eyes, replaced by shock which slowly melted away into annoyance.

"I most certainly am not!"

"Yes, you are," he insisted seriously. She faltered slightly, her grip on the pistol easing and the barrel lowering several centimeters.

"Why don't you understand what I'm trying to say?" she asked, her voice dropping to a low whisper as she fought off the emotional strain.

"It is you who doesn't understand," he replied softly, one of his hands moving down to stroke the side of her face. For a moment she closed her eyes, leaning into his touch. Alucard felt the old familiarity return, but all too soon it was over as she steeled herself once more. Her eyes snapped open, and with mild frustration she asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Leaving the castle was the biggest mistake you could have made."

"Sir Integra said –"

"Integra knows nothing of my world! You have my scent all over you, something which my enemies will not miss or fail to use."

The anger returned to her features, and she shoved the barrel of the gun firmly against his chest.

"Get out!"

"Katherine – "

"Just go!"

Alucard backed away from her, realizing nothing he said at this point would get through to her. She was confused and frightened, and she refused to let him comfort her. It made the whole situation harder; there was still much more he needed to tell her, to explain to her. She would start to notice the slight differences soon – very soon.

And then she would need him – regardless of her feelings.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter ten

As Nathan carefully climbed the stairs leading up to Katherine's new two-bedroom apartment, he took a long, deep breath to calm his excited nerves. The day had finally come, the day that he and Katherine went on their first date. When he had first learned that Katherine had moved back in with her mother temporarily, he had started planning how he would ask her out and what they would do if she said yes. It was a full week before he finally worked up the courage to call her, and even after he had asked, she had not said yes immediately.

"Now is not a good time for me, Nathan. I'm currently trying to sort out my living arrangements."

"Oh. Alright then," he had replied, not even bothering to hide the dejection he felt.

"But how about next week?" she proposed quickly, and so the date was set.

And now here he was, standing outside her door wearing his cleanest pair of jeans and his smart new leather jacket – an expense he had indulged in for this occasion. Nathan knocked on the door and stepped back to wait, listening to the movement inside the apartment. It was a few moments before he heard the soft patter of her feet as she walked up to the door and undid the lock, opening the door. She stood before him wearing a bright yellow, knee-length dress with a pale grey sweater and matching grey pumps. Her long dark hair was loose, with the sides clipped back, opening up her face.

Nathan was surprised by her image; never in all his years of knowing her had he seen her wear a dress, or wear her hair down for that matter. It was only after he had recovered from the initial shock of her appearance that he noted the faint shadows beneath her eyes and her sunken cheeks.

"Kit, are you alright? You look a bit ill," he said with concern, reaching out to touch her arm.

Before his hand could reach her, he heard a low growl come from directly behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, Nathan was startled to see a large, black dog, its beady eyes locked on him and its teeth bared in a menacing snarl. He instinctively took a step back.

"When did you get a dog, Kit?" he asked, keeping his gaze locked on the beast. Katherine did not reply to his question, and he finally glanced back at her to see her reaction. She was staring at him with one eyebrow raised in question.

"I didn't," she finally replied.

"But-"

The dog had vanished entirely, with no signs that anything had even been there. Nathan ran a hand through his hair, bewildered with what had just happened. Had he merely been seeing things? But how was that possible? He wasn't drunk or high – he wasn't the type to get involved with such things, and the dog had seemed so real.

"Never mind, I must have heard the television or something."

Katherine frowned, knowing well the television was not on, but decided to let the incident slide.

Nathan immediately snapped himself back to reality and waited while Katherine locked her apartment before the two of them headed down the stairs to his waiting car – the one he had spent years saving for.

"You finally got your car. It's nice," Katherine commented when she spotted the vehicle. Nathan sensed her compliment was genuine, though there was no excitement in her eyes as she surveyed the exterior. He shrugged it off, knowing that women rarely showed any interest in such things.

They drove to the fancy restaurant where Nathan had made a reservation – yet another special expense for the occasion. He had booked a table next to the window overlooking the Thames, a view Katherine seemed to greatly appreciate. Her response gladdened him, and he knew he had done the right thing choosing only the best. He could not afford to act the miser on tonight of all nights, because tonight was the night he finally confessed to Katherine.

He had pictured the scene perfectly; the fancy restaurant, fine food and wine, easy conversation that finally led to him telling Katherine how he had fallen for her the moment he first set eyes on her. He had taken great care in picking the restaurant; though it was expensive, it was the kind of place he could picture them returning to for anniversaries, and hopefully some day it would be the place where he proposed to her.

This picture-perfect dream, however, was dampened by the very object of his desire. Katherine casually replied to his questions, saying very little about work, but he could tell her attention was elsewhere. He would catch her staring out the window into the falling darkness during moments of silence, and she barely touched her small but dearly expensive meal.

"You look lovely tonight, Kit," he complimented, reaching across the table to touch her hand. The moment his skin made contact with hers, he sensed an unmistakable dark presence loom over him, and he twisted in his seat to look back. There was, of course, nothing there, and Nathan started to feel uneasy.

"What is it?" Katherine asked, confused by his behavior.

"It's nothing. Kit, there is something I must say to you," he started. Katherine focused her gaze on him, leaning forward slightly to show she was listening. He reached out for her hand once more, but again the moment he touched her, the dark threat was back. This time he saw a mass of swirling black shadows behind Katherine, covering her protectively. It seemed to growl at him, and tendrils of shadow shot out towards him, causing him to snap back in his chair. As soon as he released his hold of Katherine, the illusion was gone, and Nathan found everything as it should be. Katherine was frowning, her head tilted to the side as she regarded his pale, sweaty face.

"Nathan, are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I. . .no, I don't think I'm alright," he confessed, wiping his forehead with his napkin.

"What's the matter? Talk to me," she urged, reaching across the table to feel his face for fever; but Nathan would not let her touch him, afraid that any contact with her would bring back the darkness.

"What did that place do to you, Kit?"

"What are you talking about?"

"First the dog now this. . ."

"Nathan, you're not making any sen-"

Katherine stopped mid-sentence, the realization finally dawning on her. Her eyes quickly scanned the restaurant, but did not find what she was looking for. She rose stiffly from her chair.  
"Where are you going?" Nathan asked.

"Home. I'll get myself a cab, so don't worry. Thank you for dinner," she said before walking out, not allowing him to get another word in.

Once outside, she hailed a taxi and gave him her new address, telling the driver to step on it. She arrived at home ten minutes later, and within minutes of her entering her apartment, she was on the phone to the Hellsing manor. Walter answered the phone, as to be expected, and Katherine instantly demanded to speak with Alucard.

"I'll go look for him," Walter assured and she was left to wait, tapping her foot impatiently. Minutes later, Walter returned with the news that Alucard was nowhere to be found.

"Is he on a mission?"

"No, not as far as I know. He should be here somewhere, but I cannot seem to reach him."

"Where is he, Walter?!" Katherine demanded, annoyed with the vampire's convenient absence.

"I'm right here, Katherine," came his familiar voice from directly behind her. Her breath caught in her throat for a moment before she was able to interrupt Walter's apologies.  
"Never mind Walter," she said before hanging up. Slowly she turned to face the ancient vampire, who by now had placed some distance between them out of respect for her wishes.

"What did you do, Alucard?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"You know very well what I mean. You were spying on me during my date."

"On a date, were you? May I ask with whom?"

"I'm not in the mood for games tonight. You were there. Nathan was scared out of his wits, and you are the only one I can think of who would do such a thing."

"Nathan? Well what did you expect from such a puny human being? He is not worth your time, Katherine."

She sighed, rubbing her temples in annoyance.

"Please don't do this to me now."

"Katherine, I only left the manor because I sensed you were looking for me. I was nowhere near you and your precious Nathan."

Katherine stared at him for a long moment, searching his face for any hint of deceit. Upon finding none, she sank into the couch, hanging her head.

"I know."

"How?"

Raising her head slightly to meet his gaze, she replied with a grim smile; "I pride myself on being able to detect your presence. . .most of the time," she quickly added when she saw his incredulous look.

"Something is happening to me, Alucard," she continued after a brief moment of silence. She did not meet his gaze, and this time it was him who replied knowingly with an "I know."

"What are you not telling me?" she asked seriously.

"You look beautiful tonight," he replied, eyeing her with admiration.

"That's not what I meant."

"I know what you meant."

"Well then?"

Silence. He was toying with her, dancing around her questions.

"I can feel myself changing, but I don't know what it is or even how to describe it. You know what's happening to me. Tell me," she begged.

"You are acquiring abilities beyond those of a normal human. I cannot say for sure what you'll be able to do once the transformation is complete, but I know that your new abilities will adapt to suit the circumstances."

"Circumstances? What are you talking about?" she asked, her mind filled with hundreds of questions. Alucard leaned forward, bringing his face close to hers.

"These abilities are for you protection. Look at what happened tonight with Nathan. You did not truly want to be with him, so on some unconscious level you did something to him to scare him off. It will be the same for every human you wish to repel."

It was a long time before Katherine was able to speak; she still did not quite grasp what Alucard was saying. He had caught her off guard with his talk of abilities and such.

"How did this happen?" she finally asked. Her question made Alucard take a step back, and his face became unreadable. When he refused to answer her question, she jumped right on to the next point.

"Take it back."

Alucard shook his head firmly.

"I cannot, and even if I could, I would not."

"Why not?!" she demanded hotly, rising to her feet to face him down; but Alucard was not playing by her rules anymore. His frustration with her fueled his anger.

"As long as you refuse to let me near you, you will require some means of protection."

"Why do you care?" she demanded, her own anger rising to the surface, matching his own. When he did not answer immediately, she continued:

"What was it that drew you to me? Was it my blood, hm? My _virgin _blood?! If that's all you want, then why didn't you just take it?"

"Stop it, Katherine," he warned, his voice low and threatening.

"I'm not afraid of you," she retorted sharply, looking him squarely in the eye. And it was true; she was not afraid of him. Her anger had forced out any fear she might have. Her time alone had given her courage, but she was taken aback by the complete opposite reaction as to what she had expected. Alucard's infamous grin flashed across his face, and he seemed pleased with her answer. Moving closer to her, he replied, "I am one of the most powerful vampires in existence. I can be quite scary at times." He paused and slowly raised his hand, gently raking his fingers through the hair at her temples.

"But you must never fear me, Katherine. Never. As long as I exist, I will not let a single hair on your precious head be disturbed; I swear it."

Alucard did not miss the sudden rise in her heart rate or the silent but sharp intake of breath. He saw the mixed emotions swirling in the depths of her eyes, before she said, "What about the time you attacked me?" Her voice rose slightly at the end of her sentence, showing the break in her confidence and resolve.

"Do you really believe I would have hurt you?"

"I don't know what to believe anymore," she replied, turning her back on him and walking over to the window. With shaky hands, she lifted the latch on the window and took a deep breath of the cool night air. Goosebumps rose up on her skin, something which Alucard did not fail to miss. He came up behind her and gently wrapped both his arms around her shoulders, drawing her into his chest and the folds of his cloak. She did not resist him, her hands coming up to hold his wrists.

"If you truly felt for me what I think you do, then you would know what to believe," he whispered. Katherine was unresponsive for a moment, and then with a sigh she pushed out of his embrace, closing the window once more and turning to face him.

"You talk about feelings as though they were an inconvenience. You're always dancing around the words, never actually telling me how you feel about me, yet you expect me to understand."

Alucard looked away, uncomfortable by the direction of the conversation. He knew what he felt, yet could not bring himself to voice his feelings. Katherine's presence in his life had already changed him so much; for him to take that giant step towards verbally confessing what he thought he felt was too much to ask. Katherine knew she was expecting much, and she knew that until they were able to be honest with one another, they would continue to be caught up in this constantly fluctuating relationship.

"I shouldn't have called you here tonight. I don't want to rely on you anymore, Alucard. Whatever happens from here, I will figure out for myself; so unless you have anything to add, you should leave."

Alucard looked at her, seeing the changed woman she was becoming. She definitely had more courage. He could tell she still cared for him, but she was no longer the starry-eyed, infatuated young woman he had first met. Her time at Hellsing had really chipped away some of her innocence and naivety. He found that he adored her even more for her growth.

With a slight nod of his head, he moved to leave, but before he did, he reached out and tenderly stroked her cheek.

"Never forget my promise," he reminded softly before disappearing into the night.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter eleven

**A/N: Warning - Spoilers for Manga and OVA. **

"Millennium? Never heard of them," said Katherine, leaning back in her desk chair and slipping her pencil behind her ear. Walter stood just behind her, scanning the various weapon designs she had sketched which lay scattered across her desk. The size and calculated weight of each scribbled in her small handwriting showed she was still in the habit of designing weapons with Alucard as the intended user in mind.

"I'm not surprised. They were before your time. Alucard and I fought with them nearly 50 years ago."

"But they're back now, is that what you're saying?"

"Yes, our forces will be deployed soon. Sir Integra is attempting to stop them before they can reach England."

"If you're here to try and convince me to return to the field, the answer is no."

"That was not my intention. I merely wanted to warn you. Millennium is very well organized. They have a large force that can be split up and sent to different destinations. With Alucard leaving the country soon, you will need to be careful."

"I don't need Alucard to always take care of me, Walter, despite what you may believe. I survived the first twenty-four years of my life just fine without him," she contradicted, her voice firm and unyielding. Walter sighed softly, having expected such a reply from the headstrong woman.

"Nevertheless, it would be wise to be on guard," replied the elderly butler, smiling tenderly down at her. She could not help but return the smile. Rising from her chair, she gave him a quick hug; "Thank you for your concern Walter, but I will be just fine," she assured.

Her expression suddenly changed to a thoughtful one, her brow knitting together, and she approached Walter with the question that had been burning in her mind since her last encounter with Alucard.

"Walter, can a human develop abilities similar to those of a vampire?" Startled by her question, Walter cocked his head to the side.

"I've never heard of such a concept. What makes you ask?"

"Alucard said something to me that made me wonder. . ." she replied, her voice trailing off. Something in Walter's surprised expression changed.

"There is a myth – a very old one – that suggests a powerful vampire may be able to bestow a human close to them with powers of protection, particularly if the vampire feels the human is under threat. It's never been proven though, and the few instances in history where we believe this phenomenon to have occurred have been poorly documented. You can imagine how people in the Middle Ages must have reacted to having one of their own suddenly develop unusual abilities. Needless to say, the humans were likely either run out of town or tried as a witch. Kit, you don't think that you – "

"Wouldn't changing the human be easier?" she interrupted before he could complete his question.

"Well yes, I suppose it would be, but if the human in question does not wish to become a vampire, then this would be the next best thing," Walter explained slowly, sensing they were approaching a sensitive subject. Katherine, however, scoffed at his remark.

"Why would a vampire care about what a human wants?"

Walter paused for a moment, searching her face.

"Regardless of what you may think, vampires are able to care about, and yes even love, a human. Alucard cares about you more than you realize."

Katherine stubbornly avoided his gaze, but he saw the flicker of suppressed emotion pass briefly across her face.

"Your fears are unfounded, Kit," Walter said with sudden boldness. Katherine looked up in surprise, her eyes widening.

"What are you – "

"You and I both know you have never feared Alucard, nor will you ever.

"He nearly killed me," she retorted, but Walter shook his head.

"I have seen you enter the battlefield without batting so much as an eyelid. Every moment you were with Alucard you stared death in the face, yet you did not back down. Why would that suddenly change in one instant? No, you cannot expect me to believe your reasons for giving up on Alucard are based on fear of death."

Anger flashed in Katherine's eyes, and the stubborn set of her jaw showed she was not going to discuss the matter. Walter, however, refused to give in just yet; not until he had gotten through to her. He was aware of what lay ahead of them. A great battle was rapidly approaching, and Alucard would not be at his best until things between him and Katherine had been resolved.

"Eternity is a long time – you have thought about this, haven't you."

All the warmth and friendliness of earlier faded away from Katherine's demeanor, and she folded her arms across her chest, glaring hostilely at Walter's intrusion into her private thoughts and concerns.

"Seeing as you are such an expert on my feelings, why don't you tell me what exactly it is that I fear?" she demanded.

"You are afraid of ending up like your mother – alone for the rest of your days."

His words stunned her, and her mask of anger faltered. Walter pressed on.

"We could all see what was happening. Even Sir Integra could tell you were falling in love with Alucard, and that frightened you, didn't it? When Alucard came so close to taking your human life and turning you, you started to think about what that would mean. Part of you would probably not mind spending the rest of eternity with Alucard, but the other part was worried that time would diminish his affection for you."

"I was afraid he would grow bored of me, or I of him. The uncertainty made me doubt my feelings; the only solution was to let him go before he let me go," she admitted softly, no longer fighting against the truth of Walter's words. She lowered her gaze for a moment before asking, "How did you know all this, Walter?"

"I have been around for long enough to understand the fleetingness of love. I know your history; I know you haven't yet been involved in any serious relationships before, so it stands to reason that you would be uncertain. But what you do not yet understand about Alucard is that time means nothing to him anymore. He is not bound to the fleeting nature of humans. If you died today, he would continue to love you for the rest of his existence."

Katherine mused over his words before turning her back on him and shaking her head firmly. "That means nothing coming from you, Walter. If he truly loves me as you say he does, then I need to hear him say so himself."

"Perhaps he is waiting for you," Walter suggested. Katherine ran her fingers through her hair, messing it up even more.

"I don't know Walter. Maybe it's better if things remain as they are now. I need time."

_Time is running out,_ he wanted to say, but figured his words would fall on deaf ears now. It was better if he left her for now, and see what happened.

"Goodbye Kit," he greeted, before leaving her to her thoughts.

It was two more days before Katherine was once more visited by another Hellsing member; two days spent agonizing over Walter's words. No matter how long she pondered over her predicament, she still found herself confused and uncertain. She hated how she second guessed her feelings for Alucard. She loved him, yes, but would it be enough?

Fatigue from lack of sleep finally caught up to her, and Katherine decided to have an early night for once. She had not been asleep for long, when she was awakened by an insistent knocking on her front door. Groggily, she rose from her bed and padded up to the front door, undoing the locks and flinging it open. Ceres Victoria stood on the other side, smiling apologetically at Katherine's disheveled appearance.

"Sorry to wake you."

"That's alright. Come in," Katherine said, stepping aside to allow the young vampire entrance. Ceres entered and looked around with mild interest before Katherine broke the silence.

"What can I do for you?"

"Oh, I'm here to fetch you."

"Fetch me? Where are we going?"

"France, so I suggest you go pack."

Katherine was suddenly wide awake.

"France? What on earth are we going to do there?"

"Master has ordered me to get you out of the country before the battle starts."

"What? No, I'm not leaving."

Ceres frowned. "Master said you might be stubborn about it, and he's ordered me to tell you that if you refuse to come quietly, I'll have to carry you out of here myself."

Katherine opened her mouth, preparing to argue, but she knew it would be futile. She could not fight off the young vampire, especially not if she was working under orders from Alucard. Muttering to herself, Katherine brushed past Ceres, entering her room and starting to rummage through her drawers. Ceres watched from the doorway while Katherine packed a bag and changed her clothes. She was done in a few minutes, and Ceres was quick to grab the bag and head for the door, Katherine trailing behind. A cab was already waiting when they reached the street, and Ceres ushered her inside before ordering the driver to take them to the station.

"Why is Alucard doing this, Ceres?"

"Like I said, he doesn't want you here when the battle with Millennium starts. He's afraid that if they find out about you, they will use you against him. It's safer to get you out of the country before anything happens."

Katherine leaned back in her seat, pondering over how she could avoid this situation.

"Where is Alucard?" she asked after a moment, but Ceres would not answer her, keeping her red eyes fixed on the road. Katherine contemplated phoning Sir Integra, but figured the woman would only agree with Alucard that it was not safe for her. She had, after all, asked to be removed from the battlefield, and that is exactly what they were doing.

"Will Alucard not be here?"

"Master and I are leaving for Brazil tomorrow."

"How am I getting to France?"

"We will take a train to Brighton, and from there a ferry will take you across to France."

_Perfect,_ Katherine thought, leaning her cheek against the cold glass of the cab window. She was still tired, and the movement of the vehicle was rocking her to sleep, but before she could drift off, they reached the station. Ceres moved quickly, grabbing both Katherine's bag and one of her hands, leading her to their platform where the train had just come to a stop. They waited for passengers to disembark before climbing on themselves and finding a seat close to the exit. Katherine settled down across from Ceres, who assured her she could sleep if she wanted to. Katherine insisted she was not tired, but no sooner had they left the station than she was dozing with her head leaning against the window.

Ceres woke her when they reached their destination, and the two disembarked. Katherine insisted they stop a moment so she could buy a cup of coffee, but it was apparent that Ceres was in a hurry and so she abandoned all hope of receiving her fix of caffeine. The two took yet another cab to the harbor, where Katherine spotted the waiting ferry. As soon as she exited the cab, she noticed the tall, dark figure standing nearby. Her fatigue instantly melted away, replaced by a rush of conflicting emotions – joy, dread, elation, anger.

"Master!" Ceres called out joyously, rushing over to where he stood; Katherine followed more slowly.

"Why are you doing this, Alucard," she asked as soon as she reached him.

"Ceres must have explained my reasons to you."

"I think you are going too far," she argued.

"Everything has been arranged for you. There is no harm in just going along with it. It will not be for long."

Katherine pursed her lips, preparing to argue further, but Alucard stepped closer to her, leaning forward so he could look into her eyes.

"Please, it would make me feel most comforted knowing you are away from harm," he whispered, his hand trailing up the side of her arm and stopping on her shoulder. Her stomach erupted in butterflies at his touch, and she was strongly reminded of the time when she would have done anything for this man.

And no matter how hard she fought against it, she would still do anything for this man.

Katherine nodded mutely, and the two vampires led her to the waiting ferry. While Ceres saw that her luggage was stored away, Alucard stood beside the boat, watching as Katherine walked up the ramp. As soon as she was on board, Katherine moved to stand beside the railing where she could still see Alucard. He stared at her without saying a word, his eyes taking in every aspect of her face, as though he were imprinting the memory of her appearance into his mind. Katherine got a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that they were parting for good, and a wave of dread washed over her at the thought of not seeing Alucard again.

"Alucard, I've been thinking a lot lately, and I've come realize that I . . . that you. . .there's something I want to say to you," she started, stumbling over her words as she struggled to organize her thoughts. Before she was able to do so, the boat engines sprang to life, humming beneath her feet.

"Go now, and be safe," Alucard said, his voice strangely hollow, his eyes shadowed. Katherine quickly reached out her hand to him, calling out his name in the process. He moved forward and grabbed hold of her hand, and she quickly wrapped both her hands around his.

"Promise me we'll see each other again."

Alucard said nothing, and the boat began to move away. His grip loosened as if to release her hand, but she held on, stretching out over the railing as far as she could.

"Promise me!"

"If that is what you wish, then I promise."

Unable to hold onto his hand any longer, she released her grip and leaned back from the side, watching as his form shrank from sight.

"Don't forget. I will hold you to that promise," she called across the dark waters of the English Channel. She was able to see the small smile that appeared on his face, and felt comforted by it. When she was no longer able to see him or Ceres, Katherine turned and left the deck.


	12. Chapter 12

chapter twelve

"_The situation in London continues to decline at a rapid pace. We do not know how much longer we will be able to air our broadcasts. The city of London lies in ruin. British soldiers have been deployed, but the unnamed enemy continues to plow through our defenses. We have received word that Her Majesty is safe, however no orders have been issued and it seems unclear whether or not Her Majesty has any plan of action. We will continue to provide updates for as long –"_

The anchorman's words were cut short by a sudden burst of static. Black and white fuzz filled the screen, signaling the end of the transmission. There would be no more after that. The last link to the happenings in London had been severed.

Katherine drew her knees up to her chest, staring blankly at the hissing static on the screen. When news of the attack on London reached her just a few hours earlier, a mere few days after leaving Britain, she had tried to keep herself updated by following the news. No one at Hellsing was answering her calls, and now every news station had been shut down. Millennium had launched the worst kind of attack on London. Since her arrival in France, Katherine had not once left her hotel room, spending her time glued to her seat in front of the television as she tried to follow what was happening. She had seen the attack in South America on the world news, where Alucard and Ceres had been named as terrorists by local police, but things obviously ended with a bloodbath, as no more was reported on the matter. Now the headlines were filled with stories of the attack on London. She had managed to glimpse a shot of the enemy, and realized to her horror that they were dealing with a large group of vampires. Ghouls soon joined the ranks, as the people of London were used as food for the enemy. She sometimes worried about Alucard, and whether he would be able to handle such a large group, but what struck her most was the thought that she had left her friends and family behind. Her mother, Nathan – neither of them could survive such an attack. She should have tried to warn them, but the thought of such a large scale attack had not crossed her mind. She had assumed Alucard was being overprotective or paranoid, and that the target would be Hellsing specifically. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined the enemy would spread their attack across the entire city. Since all connections to London had been severed, there was no way for her to know if her mother was alright. A wave of grief swept up from her chest, crashing over her body until her limbs felt heavy. Covering her face with her hands, Katherine wept bitterly at the unfairness of the situation. None of those people deserved to die. She should have argued with Alucard, she should have stayed behind and tried to get her loved ones to safety; she should have stood beside her comrades and fought.

She should have stood beside Alucard – even if she had to die there.

As time passed she became increasingly worried and agitated. No new reports had come through from London, and to make matters worse, she had the feeling lately that she was being watched – nothing overt, but a sense of her skin crawling, particularly at night and whenever she got near the windows of the hotel room. She almost welcomed the feeling; partly because it reminded her of Alucard, and partly because it stirred a strange sense of anticipation and anger in her. She actually wanted to do something about it; her body had a strange yearning to move. It was as if all her muscles were tensed up and ready, waiting for her to act; but in spite of this, she was unwilling to act on these primitive instincts. Katherine sensed that these new-found instincts were part of the changes Alucard had spoken of.

She did eventually overcome her hesitation, but only when a report came through on the radio concerning the millions of people who had died so far and the refugees that were fleeing to the continent. Katherine decided to act then, slipping on a coat and leaving her room, making her way down the stairs to the reception area and finally out of the slowly revolving glass doors to the street. She felt that same crawling sensation immediately wash over and knew her watcher was there in the shadows.

Slowly she made her way down the road, and turned into a quiet street with tall trees on either side, trees that created the impression of a tunnel, so tall and old were they. She had barely taken five steps when she felt something approach – the prickling sensation intensifying so rapidly that it startled her – and she ignored the fact that she was able to hear the light footsteps, the rasp of coarse cloth over leather and the movement of the air around the fast moving entity – things she should not have been able to hear. As she spun around, Katherine saw that there were two figures rushing at her, and the speed of their movements indicated that they were not human. With a calm that defied all logic, she drew her own smaller version of Alucard's jackal from her shoulder holster and executed a perfect headshot on the first running figure, the explosive silver bullet shattering the vampire's head into bloody fragments. The second vampire dodged left and right before launching itself at her throat. Before he could reach her, Katherine sidestepped and smashed her gun down on its back, hearing the spine break. The vampire elicited a pained howl from its lips, and Katherine stepped out of its reach as it fell before firing four rounds in rapid succession, one in each knee and one in each elbow, effectively ripping off it arms and legs below the aiming points.

"Who sent you?" she demanded of the creature lying on the floor at her feet, at her mercy.

"It doesn't matter," the creature rasped hoarsely, clearly in agony. "That bastard vampire will die soon and Hellsing along with him; your death is inevitable."

Katherine saw the bitter rage and resentment in his eyes and stepped back again as it contorted to try and bite her leg. Slowly she took deliberate aim and shot it between the eyes, effectively killing it once and for all. On closer inspection of the corpse, she recognized the Waffen SS badge on its uniform collar and the German style greatcoat both vampires had been wearing. There were no doubts in her mind as to the meaning.

Millennium had found her.

She stood quietly for a moment, reloading her firearm, amazed at the sudden calm she felt. Katherine knew she would see Alucard again, and she also knew he had given her the ability to defend herself enough for her to risk going to him.

"You promised…" she whispered into the dark night, wishing she could see that familiar, sly grin and hear him assure her with a laugh that everything was alright. With her mind made up, Katherine turned back towards the hotel, now walking quickly with a determined stride. At the hotel she informed the reception manager she was checking out and asked him to arrange a taxi for her. In her room, she contemplated what to pack, but decided in the end that she was entering a war zone. There would be no time for things like taking a shower or brushing her teeth, or even changing clothes. No, she decided that her few personal belongings would only hinder her, and instead packed what little ammo she had left. In the hurry to leave, she had only managed to grab her handgun and some extra bullets. Most of her other weapons were still at her apartment, which was probably not even standing anymore. With a sigh and one last longing look at her few comforts in the form of soap and clean clothes, she packed her stuff in the big steamer trunk to be sent at some time in the future to. . .whatever was left.

Downstairs she told the receptionist to forward her bag to her address when things had calmed down in the UK.

"But Mademoiselle, surely you are not going to try to return there? Have you not seen the news? It is chaos over there!"

"I am aware," she replied with a small nod, smiling inwardly at the man's concern before turning on her heel and striding confidently out the front door without a backward glance. She stepped into the waiting taxi and instructed the driver to take her to the port of Dieppe. She knew there was a Hellsing outpost there, having created some long distance weapons for the staff of the guard house before. They would have a way to cross back to England.

The two hour car journey gave her an opportunity to plan her actions when she reached England; she would commandeer a vehicle and make her way to London, find Alucard, and then stay with him until they were either victorious or died fighting alongside one another. She regretted all the time they had lost, but realized she had also needed it to confirm to herself how she felt and what she wanted. Katherine closed her eyes and waited for time to pass, willing it to move more swiftly.

Once at the outpost in Dieppe, she met with the captain in charge, a man called Lyle whom she had met before when helping to install and train the soldiers on the weapons she had built. She explained to him what she required and clearly saw the hesitation in his face and manner.

"I'm sorry Kit, but we were instructed not to send anyone across to England, especially not you," he added after a momentary pause. "We do have the means," he continued, "a fast attack boat, but-"

Before he could finish Katherine held up her hand and said, "Captain Lyle, you will take me across and you will do it now. The situation has reached a level where past orders no longer apply. I will not brook any interference in this matter."

An amused expression danced across his features, and he placed his hands on his hips, straightening to his full height.

"With all due respect, Kit, what could you possibly do if we refused?"

For a few tense seconds Katherine did nothing; but then she acted, moving so quickly that before the Captain had a chance to react, she was standing beside him with the barrel of her gun aimed squarely at his head. Shocked silence filled the space before Katherine's sigh broke the spell.

"I apologize, but I needed to make my point. I have already decided to go. Whether you decide to join me or not is entirely up to you, but your cooperation will be appreciated."

Lowering her weapon, Katherine took a step back. She saw him look around hesitantly, and then he made a decision.

"You're right. Very well Kit, we will take you; I grow tired of sitting here waiting for death and not helping Sir Integra in London." He paused again and then said, "Things are not going well, we lost many soldiers, many comrades and worst of all, we lost Walter…"

Katherine turned white with shock at the news, and she sat down heavily on a nearby chair, too shaky to stand. One hand was touched to her lips and she closed her eyes in despair, thinking of Walter.

"How did it happen?" she asked hesitantly.

"We're not entirely sure. He was last with Sir Integra, but at some point they separated. We believe he was facing the enemy, but no one has heard or seen him since."

The news sparked a small flame of hope. The fact that no one had seen him meant that he could still be alive somewhere. As long as there was no body, there was still a chance.

"I must go across Captain; they will need my skills even more now."

Captain Lyle nodded solemnly and guided her out of his office to where the Attack Boat lay cleverly concealed behind fake boulders and seaweed.

"It will take an hour or so at most to get across," he explained, before gently adding, "And if you want, I will tell you everything I know about what has been happening." Katherine looked at him, noting the sympathy in his eyes, and silently nodded her head. It took about fifteen minutes to load up with supplies. The boat was not large enough to carry all the men, and so Captain Lyle ordered some to stay behind and continue to wait for orders. Katherine found herself a comfortable seat and settled down, burrowing into her heavy coat while she tried to still the anxious beating of her heart.

"We were not prepared for an attack of this magnitude. We have no way of knowing the whereabouts of either Sir Integra or Walter."

"What about Alucard and Ceres?"

Captain Lyle shrugged. "Alucard was sent out again, but as far as I know he hasn't returned yet. Ceres is fighting with the men."

He glanced sideways at her, silently thinking to himself that two vampires would not make much of a difference, but of course he would not say so aloud. She was an enigmatic woman, Katherine Elbourne. At times she demonstrated an inner strength that defied her delicate outer appearance, such as during their encounter earlier; but then at times like these, when the reality of the situation pressed down upon her shoulders, she seemed like a frightened child desperately seeking safety and comfort.

Katherine was unaware of his dissecting gaze as she struggled to work up the courage to ask the question she so longed to ask. Her strength always seemed limitless when it concerned protecting her loved ones, yet the moment she was powerless to help, fear for their safety would gnaw at her endlessly. Finally she asked him if he had heard anything about the areas where her mother and Nathan lived. Captain Lyle shook his head sadly.

"I'm sorry Kit," was all he could offer. He saw a sheen of moisture glaze her eyes, but her voice remained steady when she spoke.

"Do you have family, Captain?"

"Just my wife. No kids."

"Aren't you worried about her?"

"Of course. After so many years of doing this job, I cannot think of a worse way to die than to be used as food for those god-forsaken creatures."

"You speak as if she's already dead."

He shrugged. "My wife is not a fighter. She would not easily survive something like this. If she is alive, and I hope to God she is, then she got lucky. That's all I can hope for."

Katherine mused over his words, thinking that the same could be said of her mother and Nathan. Neither of them would know how to fight off an army, not to mention an army of vampires and ghouls. Two salty teardrops spilled over her lids and slowly slid down her cold cheeks, but her face remained impassive.

"If you don't mind me saying, Kit, you're handling this very well."

She broke out in an impulsive and bitter laugh, thinking that under normal circumstances she would have been a blubbering wreck by now. It was only her new, unnatural and oddly reliable inner strength that was keeping her together. It caused her to think of Alucard, which in turn led her back to the situation at present.

"If only I had known what was to come, I would have tried to save them," she said, referring to her mother and Nathan.

"I was under the impression you knew something bad would happen, which is why you were sent out here," said Lyle.

"It was not my idea to be sent out here."

"Whose was it?"

She did not reply, but she did not need to. Captain Lyle nodded in understanding.

"Alucard."

Hearing someone else say his name was oddly comforting. It reminded her that he was still out there, and not just a memory. It had only been a few days since she had seen him, but it felt like a lifetime. She knew, as she had always known deep down, she needed him like she needed air. She had lost so much already, but to lose him as well, now when she needed him most, it would just about kill her.

"I've never known him to act this way."

Snapped from her thoughts, Katherine gazed up at him with a puzzled expression. Seeing her confusion, Captain Lyle quickly clarified.

"Alucard, I've never known him to be so. . .protective. He obviously holds a soft spot for you."

Katherine smiled at the thought, wrapping her arms around her body. She considered his words for a moment before asking, "Captain, do you think he loves me?"

The Captain was obviously taken aback by her words, and he stuttered for a moment or two.

"W-w-what?"

She sensed his hesitation was due to the fact that Alucard was a vampire, and thus believed to be incapable of such strong feelings; but she needed to know.

"Captain, we are heading into dangerous territory. The chances of us making it out alive at this point are slim. Please, answer me as honestly as you can."

He was silent, but his face told her he was seriously considering her words.

"I don't know much about your relationship with him, and I don't pretend to know what goes on inside the head of that vampire, but it seems to me he would go to great lengths to keep you safe. . .so yes, I think it's highly likely that he does."

Katherine could not help the small smile that appeared on her face.

"Thank you, Captain. I certainly hope to see you again when all this is over."

He chuckled before replying: "If I live through this, I'm retiring."


	13. Chapter 13

chapter thirteen

*SPOILER ALERT!*

When they reached British shores, the five men and Katherine quickly learned that all forms of public transport to London had been shut down. Their only option was to drive, and so Captain Lyle sent one of his men to find them a vehicle. They did not wait long for him, and just 20 minutes after arriving, they were on their way to London. The trip seemed to stretch out endlessly, the minutes dragging by like hours. Katherine, who was seated in the passenger's seat beside Captain Lyle, could not stop fidgeting. Captain Lyle noticed her nervousness and tried to keep her occupied by making small-talk, but the closer they got to London, the less Katherine had to say, and eventually only the gentle hum of the car's engine could be heard.

As they were coming up to the city, Katherine leaned forward in her seat, her jaw dropping at the sight she beheld through the windscreen. A thick column of smoke rose above the city, and flickers of orange light could be seen in various areas that were besieged by fire. Buildings had collapsed everywhere, blown to bits by the bombs that had been dropped. The smell was almost as bad as the sight. The air reeked of destruction and blood. It was overpowering to Katherine's heightened senses, and she covered her mouth and nose with her sleeve, struggling against the panic and bile steadily rising in her throat. Captain Lyle stopped the car and they all got out to examine the damage. Katherine noted the bloodied and broken limbs poking out from beneath the rubble, victims of the explosions. There were very few corpses left, most of them having been turned into ghouls by now.

"This is horrible," said Katherine, swallowing back the bile in her throat while turning in a slow circle. One of Captain Lyle's men muttered a stream of expletives, forgetting about Katherine. When he tried to apologize, she brushed him off with a wave of her hand, saying it was alright. Katherine stopped when she spotted one of the enemy's zeppelin's hovering near the city centre. Her skin prickled at the sight, and she just barely heard Captain Lyle ordering his men to split into two groups, instructing one group to head over to Hellsing headquarters.

A cold gust of wind rushed towards them, coming from the direction of the zeppelin and stirring the dust and loose debris in the road. Katherine's body tensed; there was something familiar in the wind, but she could not place it.

"Kit, I think it will be better if you go with the others to Hellsing HQ. It is probably safer."

Katherine ignored him, closing her eyes as she tried to figure out why that scent was so familiar.

"You know, we'd be a lot better off if that vampire would just show up. He's supposed to be Hellsing's secret weapon, so why ain't he here?" asked one of the soldiers. Katherine's eyes flew open.

"Alucard! He's here!"

The group instantly began searching around them, but Katherine shook her head quickly.

"No no, not here, over there by the zeppelin," she said, pointing towards it.

"How can you be sure?" Captain Lyle asked. She opened her mouth to explain the wind had carried his scent towards them, but realized how foolish it would sound when uttered out loud.

"I-I just know. You'll have to trust me on this," she said instead. Captain Lyle observed her skeptically for a moment, then shrugged.

"I suppose you would know better than anyone."

"I'm going that way. If the rest of you want to go to the manor, then go."

Captain Lyle held up his hands to slow her down.

"Now hang on, we'll stick to the plan. I will go with you." Then turning to address his men he said, "One of you will come with us. The rest will go down to the Hellsing manor. If you find Sir Integra, let us know immediately," he instructed, tapping the radio that hung from his belt. The men nodded to show they understood before three of them split off, going in search of an abandoned vehicle they could use. Meanwhile, Katherine, Captain Lyle, and the remaining soldier, who gave his name as Terry, climbed back into their vehicle. Captain Lyle began to drive, seeking out a clear road that would allow them to make their way further into the city. Their progress was slow, as they were constantly forced to either turn around or seek an alternative route. Many of the roads were either obstructed by fallen rubble or massive craters where the bombs had landed. Katherine could not handle the delay, and she tapped her fingers anxiously against the dashboard while her eyes continued to scan the way ahead for any sign of life.

When she eventually caught sight of movement, it was not what she expected, and she called out for Captain Lyle to stop the car.

"What is it?"

Katherine rolled down her window and leaned out, staring in amazement at the ground. Terry did the same and shortly after cried out in surprise.

"Holy shit! Captain, you'd better take a look at this."

Captain Lyle opened his door and peered out. He too was caught off guard by what he saw. The ground appeared to be moving, but on closer inspection he came to realize the truth was far more horrible. A dark red fluid was rapidly moving in the same direction they were headed. Captain Lyle reached down to touch the liquid, and bringing it up to his nose, he carefully sniffed it.

"This is–"

"Blood, from the slain victims," Katherine affirmed, her eyes following the small streams that were now picking up speed.

"What the hell is going on? How can blood be moving by itself?"

"I've seen this before. A powerful vampire can absorb any blood around him in a quarter of the time it would take to drink, thus boosting his power exponentially."

"You're saying we could have to face off against a vamp on steroids?" Terry asked.

"No, I'm certain the only vampire powerful enough to do this on such a large scale is Alucard," she replied, shaking her head.

"This is seriously messed up shit," Terry muttered beneath his breath. Katherine turned to the Captain.

"We must hurry. Obviously something big is about to happen."

They continued driving, following a fairly straightforward path. The flowing blood had raced ahead of them and was already out of sight, but Katherine's sharp eyes picked out something entirely different ahead.

"Stop! We can't go this way."

"Why not?" Captain Lyle asked, slowing the car.

"You don't see the ghouls?" she asked uncertainly. Both men directed their gaze ahead, but after a few moments both shook their heads.

"I can see some movement, but I can't tell what it is. How on earth can you see that far, Kit?"

She bit her lower lip, uncertain how to explain her abilities. Instead, she diverted the subject.

"They are probably mobilizing against Alucard. We must find another way to avoid detection."

No sooner had the words escaped her mouth than there was an explosion of bullets that bounced off the bonnet. Reacting quickly, Captain Lyle threw the car into reverse and swung it around before driving off. Katherine gripped her seat to keep from falling over while Terry scanned the area behind them for their attackers. A small group of ghouls had noticed them and broken off from the main body to give chase.

"Luckily they're only ghouls," remarked the captain, swerving around a corner.

"I don't think that will be the case for much longer," Katherine predicted.

"Captain, I think she's right. Something is following us, fast," Terry confirmed, his hands already readying his weapon. Captain Lyle cursed under his breath and tried to drive faster, though their environment was making it difficult.

"We can't outrun vampires," Katherine yelled above the noise of the engine and the rain of bullets that would occasionally catch up to them, slamming into the body of the car. As if to prove her point, the next corner they turned proved to be a dead end, completely obstructed by a mountain of rubble. Captain Lyle slammed on the breaks, parking the car horizontally on the road.

"Quick, everyone out!" the captain ordered. Katherine crawled over the space between the two front seats, exiting just after Captain Lyle and crouching down behind the car. All three prepped their weapons and cautiously peered through the windows. The vampires were the first to reach them, and they instantly began firing at the three, shattering the windows. Katherine covered her ears to block out the noise, surprised at the level of calm she was able to maintain. It seemed whenever she was caught in the heat of battle, her new instincts would take over and she was able to think and act with a clarity and level-headedness that she did not possess otherwise. She could definitely become used to this, she thought while aiming carefully and taking out one of the vampires. Their back and forth attacking continued for a few moments before Captain Lyle turned to Katherine.

"Kit, you've got to get out of here before the ghouls arrive."

"I can't leave you, there will be too many for you to handle."

"There's no point in all of us dying here. We'll try to keep them distracted while you make a run for it. Try to get to Alucard. He'll protect you."

"But-"

Before she could argue, sounds of battle erupted to their right where the zeppelin still hovered. For a moment all attacks ceased as all eyes turned to the source. The sound was deafening, as though a mass genocide were occurring. Katherine's thoughts went back to Alucard, and the color drained from her face as she imagined him in the midst of the attack.

"Go to him Katherine. That is, after all, why you came in the first place."

She looked into the Captain's eyes, searching his face for hesitation or doubts. There were none. Leaning forward, she kissed his cheek, and did the same with Terry.

"Thank you both. I owe you more than I can ever repay you for."

Captain Lyle brushed her gratitude aside.

"We'll see you when this is all over," he assured. Katherine smiled.

"I will hold you to that."

"Terry, you ready?" asked the captain.

"As I'll ever be," the youth replied, lightly tossing a grenade in his hand.

"Right. Kit, on the count of three, you run. Got it?"

Katherine nodded and smiled at each in turn one last time.

"One. . .two. . .THREE!"

Katherine ran at a steady pace, breathing deeply in and out. She dodged into alleyways and darted through narrow streets, steadily weaving her way through the city to where she knew Alucard could be found. The sounds of battle had stopped abruptly, and she was mildly concerned with what was happening now. Her ears picked out the sound of pursuit somewhere behind her, but she could not help the amused laugh that escaped her lips. A few months ago she would have just about been ready to collapse in exhaustion, but now she was able to push her body to new limits. As a result, she had been running without pause since leaving Terry and Captain Lyle, and the following ghouls stood no chance of catching up to her before she reached her destination. Katherine held her firearm tightly in her hand, her finger close enough to the trigger to allow her to react to surprise attacks.

She was nearing the zeppelin now; its sheer size almost completely blocked out the night sky. Katherine stopped for a moment, scanning the surrounding area for a stable enough building. She needed to get to higher ground in order to determine what was happening and how best to approach the area. Upon locating what appeared to be the remains of a hotel, she hurried around to the back of the building where the fire escape stairs would most likely be found. Discovering enough of the stairs still intact to be able to climb to the roof, Katherine began her ascent. The air at the top of the building was cold, and a light shiver ran down her spine when she stepped onto the flat surface. Wrapping her arms around her body, Katherine began surveying the area.

In the distance she could see the zeppelin. Mountains of rubble seemed to surround most of the area directly below it, and it was in that space that most of the action appeared to be taking place. She could just make out two dark figures standing opposite one another, though their identities remained a mystery. What shocked and frightened her most, however, were what appeared to be hundreds, perhaps even thousands of corpses completely littering ground. Probably this was the result of the battle they had heard earlier; but it made no sense. Where had all those people come from, and what exactly was happening?

Taking a deep breath to ease the knot in her belly, Katherine continued to search for a way to reach Alucard. She was too close to the zeppelin's side, and saw the only way would be to move around to the far side and try to scale the heap of rubble that stood in her way. With determination and all her thoughts focused solely on reaching Alucard, Katherine climbed back down and once more began her trek through the city. The time she had spent on the roof had closed the distance between herself and the ghouls tracking her. A few of the leaders materialized behind her, but she wasted no time in exterminating them before moving on.

Then, it happened again. Seconds after the ghouls hit the ground, their fluids began to move, drawn by an invisible force over the rubble to where the battle was happening. The corpses left over after the last battle were quickly absorbed. Katherine watched, unable to move her body, forgetting momentarily her goal. Her eyes followed the movement of the strange phenomenon, until with a start, she realized she had stopped. Spurred on once more by thoughts of reaching Alucard, Katherine began the treacherous climb over the loosely piled slabs of broken concrete, tar and bricks. After a few moments of stumbling and sliding, she reached the top and cautiously pushed herself to her feet. She gazed down at the destruction that lay a few meters below her feet, her eyes steadily making their way to the two figures who seemed to dominate the action.

Alucard was facing off against an unknown person that appeared to be a boy in his early teens. There was a hint of insanity in the triumphant grin on Alucard's face and in the glint of his blood-red eyes. He was enjoying the battle, the blood, and the destruction, and a part of Katherine's brain screamed in fear at the monster he appeared to be. His raven locks seemed to float around his ethereal face, stimulated by his powerful, supernatural aura. He had the look of a man who had just won the battle, and yet his opponent appeared unperturbed. In fact, he seemed disappointed.

All of Katherine's earlier confidence fled at this sight. She knew instantly that something was not right with this scene.

"Alucard!"

The change in his expression was instantaneous. With a jolt, the grin on his face faded, and his eyes turned to find her, widening once they had locked on their target.

"Katherine?"

Hearing him say her name lifted her spirits, and she scampered down the other side, anxious to reach his side; but even as she was rushing towards him, she did not fail to hear the sobering words of his opponent.

"It's over Alucard. You've lost."

Katherine stopped short, her eyes shifting to the boy who seemed familiar up close.

"I'm sorry, Katherine," he whispered, turning his head slightly to address her. She frowned in confusion, feeling hopelessly lost.

"Ha! They may have given you your youth back Walter, but they obviously couldn't make you smarter. I have absorbed everything around me. I am far more powerful than you, shinigami," said Alucard, his confidence still as high as ever; but Katherine was left even more surprised by the revelation that his words brought. He had called the boy Walter. It seemed impossible, and yet, looking into his eyes, Katherine could not help but feel it was true. He was still staring at her with a sort of mild and lingering regret, and even though he addressed Alucard, his eyes never left hers.

"You have too many identities within you for you to know which one is the real you anymore. You're losing yourself, Alucard."

For the first time, shock registered on the ancient vampire's face as he realized with a start the boy was right.

For Katherine, though she did not truly grasp the situation in its entirety, Walter's words had enough effect to cause concern. She turned to Alucard, hoping to find an explanation, but what she saw made her pause. It was as though someone had thrown a bucket of icy water into her face when she saw Alucard's body slowly starting to fade, becoming transparent before her very eyes. He was literally losing himself.

"No." With a start, Katherine stepped in between the two men, cupping Alucard's face in her hands.

"No, Alucard, look at me! You must stay with me!" she ordered, keeping her eyes glued to his. A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, and he closed his eyes in acceptance, whispering her name. In her heart, Katherine sensed she was losing him.

"Fight it, Alucard! Promise me you'll stay."

His legs were already gone now, and in alarm, she threw her arms around his torso, clutching him tightly to her chest, unwilling to let him go. He was all she had left, and there were so many things she still wanted to say to him. Hot tears soaked his jacket, and she felt his hands brush against her hair, barely anything more than a ghost of a touch.

"_Please_," she begged earnestly. "I'm sorry for pushing you away. Please don't leave me," she whispered brokenly. "I love you, Alucard."

She sensed him lowering his face to hers, feeling his breath in her ear.

"Katherine, I. . ."

She pulled back to look at him, but all she had was one last moment to look into his eyes before he disappeared.

Katherine did not move. A blessed but momentary numbness washed over her heavy body, and she was too afraid to even breathe lest the spell be broken. It was not real, she told herself. He could not be gone. He would appear suddenly beside her, just like always, and scoop her up into his arms where she would be safe from pain.

"Katherine?"

She started at the sound, and suddenly reality caught up with her. The aching emptiness in her chest spread like fire throughout her body; she dropped to her knees, wrapping her arms tightly around herself, digging her nails into the flesh of her arms. Her breaths came in short, painful bursts, but she was unaware of the tears that flowed down her cheeks without cease.

"Don't you dare call me by that name," she murmured. The hostility in her voice stopped Walter for a moment.

"You should leave here. It will all be over soon."

She refused to move, and realizing he would not get anything out of her, Walter walked past.

"Goodbye, Kit."

She listened to the sound of his footsteps fading away. Sounds of battle resumed in the zeppelin, and she figured it was probably the work of Sir Integra or Ceres; but she was too broken to care anymore.

Lying down amidst the dirt and blood, blocking out the sounds of explosions, guns and raging fires, she curled herself into a protective ball and closed her eyes.


	14. Chapter 14

chapter fourteen

_A/n: Apologies for the long delay. Under these circumstances I should not be posting these chapters, since there is a high possibility that the nature of this final arc could change somewhat. An ending has been decided on by my colleague and I, but unfortunately it has been slow in its development, with many rewrites and alterations. So for now here is a hint of what might follow in Katherine and Alucard's story, and we'll see how it goes from here. Depending on the reaction, we may continue along this thread or alter it to suit the desires of both our faithful readers and ourselves. Once more please note that this should be considered as something of an incomplete idea, at least for now. I do hope that it will eventually become a more permanent fixture of the story. To end off, a very big thank you to every single reader, whether you leave a review or not. It has been a pleasure writing this story and seeing the good reception with which it was met. You have my most sincere, heart-felt thanks. _

Katherine's old bedroom in the Hellsing manor was one of the few rooms not damaged during the Millennium attack. She had moved back in after everything was over, considering that her own apartment had burned to the ground in one of the many fires that had ravaged the city of London. A sense of nostalgia – a strangely human emotion for him – swept over Alucard when he found the room furnished in the same, simple fashion as when she had first been living there. Yet the dark, Victorian furniture was all there was to remind him that her presence had once filled this room. There were no clothes hanging in the wardrobe, no shoes carelessly kicked beneath the bed, no sketches and other work related items scattered over the desk by the window, no lingering trace of citrus-scented shampoo or her favourite jasmine-scented perfume. There was nothing left to remind him of her presence.

"_She's dead, Alucard! The sooner you accept that, the better."_

His human master's words echoed in his head, though her harsh voice seemed to have spoken out loud to him. Had he been human, he might have shed a tear at the news, but all he felt was a raw, gaping wound in his chest, right around where his heart should have been beating.

Out of all the scenarios he had imagined in response to his homecoming, his master yelling out that the woman he loved was dead had not been at the top of his list. For the past three decades, he had been fighting against every identity he had ever consumed. Absorbing his prey once he had killed them off made him stronger, and after the centuries of his undead life, he had consumed over three million identities; but when his little quirk turned against him during the Millennium battle, he found himself drawn into a battle for his own life. The battle had been long, bloody and draining, and at times he had been convinced he would never find his true identity; yet in the midst of all that confusion, there was one thing he had that none of the others had.

Katherine.

Right before his disappearance, she admitted that she loved him. It was the first time in centuries that Alucard had heard those words directed at him, and it was the only thing that kept him alive during his ordeal. It should have been no surprise then that his first thoughts upon returning to the Hellsing manor were of Katherine, driving him to find her as soon as possible. Every fibre of his being had ached at the thought of seeing her again, of touching her warm, soft skin, though he had known full well she would not be the same as when he had left. In human years, she would have aged quite a bit, but age had little effect on what Alucard saw. She would still be his beloved Katherine – vibrant and passionate.

Or so he had thought. His human master had been less than pleased by the fact that after thirty long years, Katherine was the first person he asked for. His fledgling Ceres had of course been able to sense his arrival, but she did not look pleased to see him. In fact, she looked worried.

"I must see Katherine." It was only out of respect to the contract he had with his master that he had come to her first instead of making straight for Katherine's old room. Integra Hellsing regarded her servant with a scowl that highlighted the new lines on her face.

"She is not here," Integra replied crisply, turning away from the vampire. The news came as a surprise to Alucard, but it was certainly possible that she had chosen not to live in the manor.

"Where is she then?" he asked, fully aware of his master's growing displeasure, but still anxious to find Katherine. There was something in the air that made him feel uncertain for some reason, and he hoped to find his once lover in the hopes that she would appease his growing sense of anxiety.

"She's dead, Alucard!" Integra snapped, her patience having worn thin by herservant's complete disregard for her authority over him.

The sobering news had struck Alucard with the force of a sledgehammer, and it was only thanks to hundreds of years of being out of touch with his humanity that Alucard was able to absorb Integra's statement with a calm exterior.

Sitting on the bed in Katherine's old room now, he had the sudden urge to take his rage out on the dusty furniture. Ceres appeared while he was having a silent debate in his head on the pros and cons of wrecking the room, breaking through his dark thoughts.

"Sir Integra wishes to speak to you."

"First tell me what happened to her. Were you there when it happened?"

Ceres' impassive expression broke down at the memory; she had always struggled to embrace the devil-may-care nature of the vampire, clinging to her human emotions. Alucard had once thought it was pathetic and weak, but meeting Katherine had changed all that, and the guilt he now saw on Ceres' face almost made him howl in despair.

"Yes, I was. We were on a mission, fairly standard stuff. I went ahead while Katherine and a few others brought up the rear. We were dealing with a young vampire who had been causing havoc in a town up north. I was too busy fighting to notice something was wrong, but just as I was disposing of the vamp, a report came through that Katherine had disappeared."

Alucard felt his shoulders tense, and he urged Ceres to continue. "Did you look for her?" Ceres nodded sombrely.

"I was able to locate her scent, but. . ." She faded off, lowering her face so that her eyes were hidden in shadow.

"Ceres." He addressed her in a low voice, but his tone clearly indicated that he expected her to obey him by continuing.

"There was another scent, one I didn't recognize. It was vampire."

The news that Katherine's abductor had been vampire brought Alucard's worst fears to mind. As if she were following his thought pattern, which was not unlikely considering their master-subordinate bond, Ceres interrupted his reverie once more. "We haven't found trace of her since then, and Sir Integra had us search for over two weeks. It seems unlikely that she survived the encounter."

"How long ago was this?" Alucard managed to ask, despite the intense rage that rumbled inside of him like lava in a volcano, threatening to erupt at any second.

"About a year after you disappeared."

Twenty-nine years. She had been gone for twenty-nine years, and he had not known.

Without a word, Alucard rose smoothly from the bed and moved to answer the summons of his master. Ceres followed in his shadow, passing through the walls just as he did. She had improved since he had last seen her.

Integra was waiting for him with more patience now than he had thought she had. Age had altered her character too, though not as much as her appearance. The stress of the job had taken its toll on her general state. The worry lines around her eyes and on her forehead were more prominent, Alucard noticed, now that he was paying slightly more attention. He was glad for the distraction, unable to comprehend what exactly he was feeling. The great vampire Alucard had always been amused by the way humans allowed their emotions to rule over them, yet now here he stood, suffering from the very emotions he had once mocked. There was more he wanted to know concerning Katherine and the events leading up to her inevitable death, but he kept his questions to himself, unwilling to venture further into this territory that caused him unimaginable pain. Also, the look in his master's eyes clearly stated she would not linger on the subject any longer, at least not now.

"My master," he greeted, succeeding in being more respectful this time around. He even went so far as to kneel, lowering his head in a sign of submission.

"You remember your place now, Vampire?"

"Yes master."

"Good. I will not have you distracted by Katherine's unfortunate fate. She is gone, and you of all people should know how futile it is to mourn over the dead. Katherine's life ended, as with all humans. I expect you to be performing at your best from now on."

"Of course. I understand."

And he really did understand. That did not mean he agreed. When Integra dismissed the two vampires for the night, Ceres followed her master down to his dungeon quarters, hoping to speak to him. It was obvious that Alucard would not be able to brush aside Katherine's death the way he normally did, and Ceres wanted to understand why.

"Master, I have never seen you so torn up over the death of a human. Forgive me for saying so, but I don't understand how you of all people could feel so strongly about a human. You've always mocked humans for their weakness, and encouraged me to discard all my old ties to humanity."

Alucard sat down in his favourite chair and folded his hands in his lap, regarding his fledgling – his child – with an impassive expression. He noticed how even now, after thirty long years, she still squirmed under his gaze. She was still very much submissive to him, and would be until he released her. Alucard had presumed he would have had this conversation with her a lot earlier, but his troubles with identity had come along so unexpectedly that he had never had a chance to explain vampire lore to her. Still, it was probably better that they have this conversation now, after Ceres had spent just over thirty years as a vampire. She would understand things better now.

"Have you ever been in love, Ceres?" The mere fact that he had called her by her name gave her pale cheeks a tint of pleasure, but she quickly shook her head.

"But you understand what happens? When a human male and female 'fall in love', as they call it, they tend to form an exclusive bond that will last for as long as their fickle natures allow it."

Ceres nodded to show she understood. Alucard laced his fingers together and leaned back in his chair, tilting his head backwards. "It's the same for our kind, except when we mate, it is forever."

"I don't understand," Ceres said after a moment of hesitation. Alucard lowered his face until his eyes met with hers before continuing.

"I know I reprimanded you for clinging to your humanity for so long, but I do understand why you did it. When you've been around for as long as I have, you recognize that everything that once made you human slips away as the years go by. That is why we are so attracted to humans; they are alive, they feel, they are still in touch with their souls. Humans call it finding your soul mate, but for us the term is a little more literal. It doesn't happen often, but every couple of centuries or so, a vampire may come across his true soul carrier."

"Soul carrier?"

Alucard nodded solemnly. "Someone who has the ability to awaken that part of our decaying souls that can experience. . . certain attachments," he explained, cringing slightly near the end of his sentence. Ceres regarded him with a puzzled expression for a few seconds before it dawned on her.

"You mean love?"

"It doesn't matter what you call it," Alucard asserted with an impatient wave of his hand. "The point is, for creatures such as us, these humans become the holders of the last remnants of what we once were, a part of our souls as it were, and it will remain with them forever, regardless of their fate."

Ceres mused over this new information for a few moments; Alucard could see the cogs of her mind rotating with the insight.

"Must this person be human?" she finally asked. Alucard shrugged.

"Not necessarily. If they were very young vampires, it would be the same. The reason that humans are the most likely candidates is because, as I already said, they are still in touch with their own souls."

"And what makes a person eligible?"

Alucard grinned in amusement, leaning forward slightly as though he were about to convey a secret. "That, Police girl, is the big mystery. You cannot choose; it just happens."

"And Katherine was your soul carrier then?"

Alucard's grin faded as quickly as it had come, and with a barely audible sigh he clasped his hands in his lap. "One of them, yes." Ceres' eyes widened.

"You can have more than one?"

"Well yes, we live a long time remember. You must understand, Police girl, vampires are not like ordinary humans. We don't conform to the same rules of fate or destiny – or whatever you choose to believe in – as they do. It is believed that we each have one _true_ soul carrier, but often that person has not even been born yet, and the chance is always there that you will not be around when that happens. In the meantime there are others, though the attachment is not as strong. I have had women before Katherine, but it never lasts long."

"What do you mean?" Ceres asked cautiously, sensing something unspoken and sinister in his words.

"They all met the same fate as Katherine – they died. Humans don't last very long when they are around vampires."

"You never thought about changing them, like you did with me?"

Alucard was silent for some time before he answered, his eyes staring off into the space over her shoulder.

"It doesn't matter now, does it?"

Ceres left after that, recognizing the look on her Master's face that suggested he would not speak on the matter anymore. Once Alucard was alone, he lapsed back into a brooding state of mind, in which he reflected not only on Katherine's fate, but also his past. Ceres' question had reminded him of the times he had believed he had found his true match, only to have her die due to her relation with the great vampire Alucard. He had, of course, changed a few women before, but things always fell apart once they turned. Ceres had been the first after many long years to be brought over by his hand, but with Katherine, there was no compulsion to turn her. The idea of ending her life, of taking away the very spark that had first drawn him to her, bothered him more than the idea of allowing her to live out her human life. It became clear to him early on in their dysfunctional relationship that he could not pass on the curse of his existence to her, even if it meant losing her forever.

As for the other thought that plagued him – the question of whether or not Katherine _was_ his true soul carrier, he could not be sure. Certainly, he had felt differently about her than the previous girls, though to even admit to himself that he felt anything at all had been an uphill battle. One thing he did recognize was the manner in which the news of her death affected him. Somehow it cut deeper than it had before, but then, it had been centuries since he had last been with a human woman, and his memory of what it had felt like to lose her was foggy.

Perhaps he was over exaggerating his bond with Katherine, perhaps not.

Either way, he could never know.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter fifteen

Arthur Renfield struggled to suppress a yawn, covering his mouth with his hand so as to seem genuinely interested in what his colleague was saying. The annual Minister's Ball was meant to be a celebration in honour of the men in charge of keeping the country in order, yet Arthur found the company tedious and their idea of 'celebrating' equally lacking. Casting his glance around the large auditorium, Arthur hoped to find a distraction in the form of someone more interesting. The other guests were milling about in small groups, softly chatting away about the current economical state of the country, upcoming political changes, and the latest gossip regarding cheating spouses and personal scandals. Waiters dressed in crisp white shirts and pressed black slacks carefully made their way through the crowd of ministers and their jewel-addled wives, distributing alcohol freely which did little to liven up the party, at least in Arthur's opinion. He grabbed another glass of wine from a passing waiter, taking a large gulp before turning back to his companions.

"So tell us, Art. How do you keep busy these days, what with there being no reason to call upon the military?"

Arthur ground his teeth in frustration. He found it irksome when fellow ministers looked down on him, as they not-so-subtly tended to do from time to time. As the Minister of Defence, it was his job to ensure England's armed forces were always prepared; yet there hadn't been any real trouble since the brutal attack on London by unknown forces about thirty years ago. However, this did not mean that he sat around all day doing nothing. His work with the Hellsing organisation kept him plenty busy, though of course he could never tell his fellow ministers what that entailed. They would never believe that monsters existed, even though they lived right beneath their very noses.

Taking a sip of his wine, Arthur wondered what it would be like to rub their faces in the fact that _he _was the one who kept them safe at night.

Well, Integra Hellsing really, but he played a big role too.

Arthur's ever roaming eyes came to a sudden halt when they alighted on a sight he had not expected. On the other side of the hall stood a woman, but such a vision was she, that Arthur found himself unable to draw his eyes away. She stood with her profile to him, her luxurious brown hair cascading down the curve of her bare back. Her tight-fitting red dress drew attention to her full chest, firm bottom and shapely, long legs. As if sensing his stare, the woman turned, her gaze meeting his. One perfectly arched eyebrow rose along with the corners of her mouth, and she inclined her head in invitation.

"Oh one can never be too prepared," Arthur replied, his eyes never leaving the woman. "Excuse me, gentlemen."

As if in a trance, Arthur followed the radiant beauty as she strode through one of the open side doors onto the balcony. She stood waiting, her arms against the railing, but turned when he was directly behind her. Up close she was even more dazzling. Her skin was very pale, but smooth; her red lips did not part when she smiled, and her eyes seemed an unusual colour, though Arthur quickly brushed the matter aside as merely a result of bad lighting.

"Good evening," she said. Her voice was soft and sweet, like music to his soul. Arthur felt himself grow hot beneath his stiff, white collar, but managed to find his voice long enough to offer her the same greeting.

"You must forgive me, Madam, for I have not yet had the pleasure of making your acquaintance. I hope my being here with you is not keeping your from your fortunate partner?"

At this her eyes seemed to twinkle in amusement, and she stepped closer to him, her hand coming up to touch his breast.

"I am an old friend of Sir Hellsing, and it is on account of her recommendation that I am here, though I am very much alone. And don't you worry, Mr. Renfield, there will be plenty time for you to make my most intimate acquaintance," she whispered seductively, to which Arthur's body did not fail to respond. The moment, however, was sadly cut short when the woman took a step back again, her hand coming up to her hip and drawing his focus away from her mouth to her body.

"You know me?" he asked, his eyes snapping back up to her lovely face.

"Indeed. I have heard much about you from Sir Hellsing," she answered, her fingers toying with the buttons on his jacket. Arthur found his mouth suddenly very dry, but she spoke again before his imagination could carry him away.

"But what's this? As a gentleman, I would have expected you to at least bring me a drink, unless. . ." Her voice trailed off, and the tip of her tongue darted out to lick her cherry red lips, nearly sending Arthur over the edge. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered if her behaviour was not a little odd, but his desire quickly pushed those thoughts aside, convincing him that young people these days were not bothered with modesty, or introductions it seemed; and she was young, she looked to be in her mid-twenties, while he was already in his mid-fifties. He still could not believe his luck.

"Unless what?" The woman moved forward, her lower body pressed against his and her leg skilfully rubbing up the inside of his.

"Unless you plan to take me somewhere else for a drink," she whispered, her warm breath tickling his ear until all he could think about was taking her home and ravishing her.

"Let's go," he answered, tossing all caution to the wind and taking hold of her slender wrist. He noted how her skin was cool to the touch, but since they were standing outside, he paid no attention to it.

No one noticed as they left, and when Arthur's chauffer finally brought the car around, he ordered him to drive to his apartment in the city by the quickest route possible, unwilling to wait the full thirty minute drive into the country where the old Renfield family estate was located. His apartment was only meant for prolonged stays in the city, but while he had not planned to stay in London that night, he knew the apartment would be adequately stocked for one or two nights stay. The entire way home, Arthur fought to keep his hands from straying inappropriately, yet the woman's advances did not make it easy for him.

Upon reaching his apartment, Arthur had enough sense to remember his manners, and opened the door for the lady to enter first. The woman walked in, her high heels clacking against the wooden floors, the sound echoing throughout the empty apartment. Arthur's eyes lingered on her gently swaying hips as she strode over to the staircase, leaving her purse behind on one of the small tables in the front hall. He closed the door behind him, but did not bother with the lights. The woman turned to him and beckoned with her fingers, her lips stretching into a small smile. As he followed her up the stairs, Arthur loosened his tie and carelessly tossed his tailored jacket across the back of the railing. He entered his bedroom, expecting to find her on the bed, but she was suddenly behind him, shutting the door before closing the distance between them. Her skin was still cool beneath his hands, but her kisses were wild and hot. Before he knew what was happening, she had him on his back on the bed, straddling his hips while she continued to nip at his lips. Arthur's hands caressed her waist and back, his fingers slowly memorizing the feel of her soft skin. She moved her attention to his neck, her lips leaving soft kisses along his skin. He heard her breathe in deeply before releasing her breath in a sigh of pleasure.

"Do you know why I chose you?" she suddenly asked while nuzzling his neck.

"Because I was the only handsome, single male there?" he ventured. He could feel her lips drawing into a smile as she laughed.

"No, it's because you know Sir Integra Hellsing."

"Plenty people know Sir Hellsing," he pointed out, anxious to get this conversation out of the way so he could prove he still had some spring left in him.

"Yes," she replied in a somewhat indulging tone. "But you're the only one who knows about the things that go bump in the night," she continued, her voice gradually lowering to a whisper.

Arthur's body froze as the implication of her words sank in. The woman sensed his tension and laughed, snapping Arthur out of his daze. He pushed back on her shoulders, but only succeeded in placing a small distance between them, enough so he could look at her face. She was smiling widely for the first time, and even in the dark he could see the sharp incisors resting on her lower lip.

"Y-you're a monster!"

"Oh come now, that's not very nice. Does this body feel like it could belong to a monster?" she asked in a taunting tone, pressing herself down on him to emphasize her point. Arthur pushed back, rolling her over enough so that he could escape from beneath her. Running away would not do much good, but Integra had given him a weapon for emergencies. He had never expected to ever use it, but now he was grateful for Integra's insistence he keep one in each of his homes. Rummaging around in the drawer of his desk now, Arthur prayed the gun was still loaded with the specialized bullets. Upon discovering the weapon, he whipped around to aim at her. Surprisingly, she was sitting on the edge of the bed, her legs casually crossed and a placid smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, completely unperturbed by the weapon in his hands.

"Claridge Hi-Tech, semi-automatic, 9mm pistol. Let me guess, blessed steel Macedonian mercury filled bullets?"

Arthur's jaw dropped in surprise, and he struggled to still his trembling hands.

"Well I'm pleased to see all my hard work is still being put to use, but that just means you've lost your advantage. You can't catch me by surprise; I designed those bullets."

"What do you want with me?" Arthur demanded, pleased by how firm and unwavering his voice sounded. The woman lifted her hand in front of her face and began casually examining her nails.

"Relax, I'm not going to eat you." She paused to chuckle at her little joke before continuing. "I just want you to pass along a little message to Integra Hellsing."

Her request was so odd that Arthur stumbled over his words.

"Wait. . .you want. . .that's it?"

"That's it," she replied, shrugging her shoulders. He did not lower his weapon, but he did edge along the wall to the light switch, flipping it and flooding the room with light. It took a second or two for his eyes to adjust, but the woman did not even flinch. In the halo of white light he could see her eyes were a fiery red that almost matched the colour of her lips.

"Why me?"

"As I've said, you know all about vampires, which means you'll go straight to Integra with this information."

"Alright then, what is this message you want me to deliver?" The woman paused, a shadow flickering across her eyes. Her expression lost some of its humour, and Arthur's brain responded to the change by going into a mild panic.

"Tell Integra Hellsing that her organization is about to enter its final stage of existence."

The enormity of what she was suggesting baffled Arthur, enough to cause him to lower his weapon somewhat.

"You can't be serious. No one has ever been able to completely destroy the Hellsing organization. If you had tried to take them down in the past thirty or so years you might have succeeded, but your attempt is ill-timed. Alucard has returned, and you'll never make it past him."

At this the woman rose from the bed, and Arthur swiftly raised his weapon again, aiming it at her chest. Again, she did not even bat an eyelid.

"You misunderstand Arthur dear. It is exactly Alucard that I want." She moved over to the door, ignoring the trailing barrel of Arthur's weapon.

"I'll see myself out then."

"Wait!"

The woman paused with her hand on the doorknob, waiting for him to speak.

"Who are you?"

She smiled again, flashing her sharp teeth, the intensity of her crimson eyes burning right through him.

"Kit is the name I go by. Be sure to mention that to Sir Hellsing when you tell her. Good evening, Mr. Renfield."

And with that she was gone, leaving Arthur alone with nothing but the silence of his empty apartment. Sliding to the ground, Arthur allowed the weapon to slip from his numb fingers, offering up a quick but heartfelt prayer that he escaped with his life.


End file.
